Diagnostic testing is increasingly moving from centralized laboratories into pharmacies, physicians' offices, hospitals and directly to consumers as part of the transition to value-based care with its focus on providing quality care at a lower cost. Point-of-care testing (POCT) – and what it means for the future of health-care delivery, health-care providers and creators of innovative technologies joining forces to satisfy consumers' growing appetite for convenient and rapid testing – took centerstage at the recent AACC Annual Meeting in San Diego. This feature takes a closer look at the increasing migration of POCT into the retail arena, specifically pharmacies, to support primary-care providers, along with its challenges. It also highlights emerging trends and technologies, including presentations of the "Star Trek-like" innovations from the Qualcomm Tricorder XPrize competition winners that are bound to disrupt the landscape of direct-to-consumer testing. We also provide expert opinions of the pros and cons of bringing POC services closer to consumers.
The digital revolution and technological innovation are the key drivers that are accelerating diagnostic testing's shift away from the centralized laboratories with large high-capital equipment, towards decentralized settings using ever-smaller and increasingly more accurate rapid testing. This – coupled with the push to value-based health care, the relentless rise of health-care costs and, in many cases, limited access to health care – are all driving demand for point-of-care testing (POCT).
How this paradigm shift is impacting health-care delivery, opening new unforeseen windows of opportunities and presenting challenges was discussed by...
