The pandemic brought the physical world to a halt and created an ever-expanding opportunity for the digital world, accelerating a shift in everything from how we work to how we take care of ourselves. In March 2020, staying home and social distancing saw telehealth trends rise in unprecedented ways with a 154% usage increase, compared to the previous year. Today, scheduling virtual appointments with medical professionals and taking at-home tests has not only become the norm for many but also it has become essential in our fast-paced world.
With the rapid growth of digital healthcare, including telehealth, virtual mental health, pharmacy services and even wellness offerings, the digital health industry is growing faster than ever, offering improved care experiences for providers and patients alike. Here’s how to take advantage of the growth.
The Market Is Headed Toward At-Home Diagnostics
Since the pandemic, many virtual care companies have experienced great success with the rising demands of at-home virtual care. While these corners of the industry will continue to grow and change medical care as we know it, one key area is expected to skyrocket in astounding ways: at-home diagnostics. Expected to bring in more than $6 billion of revenue by 2022, at-home diagnostics is transforming a central thread underlying digital health: the need for laboratory tests. In fact, most medical decisions require them. Customer have reaped the benefits of going virtual and continue to look to bring their health care into their own hands.
How the Digital Health Industry Can Meet Customer Demand
The swelling customer demand for at-home care and the overwhelming need for traditionally in-person laboratory tests to complete their care presents an opportunity for companies to offer more streamlined solutions. Building on a ten year plus foundation as a molecular laboratory, Innovative Health Diagnostics (IHD) created a diagnostics-as-a-service platform to help bridge the in-person and virtual care. IHD’s platform enables direct-to-consumer brands, telehealth or telemedicine companies, pharmacies, and wellness devices to offer more holistic care virtually.
At-home diagnostics allows for a wide range of services, allowing medical professionals to prescribe medication that requires blood work or test-to-treat scenarios, for example. It also expands the market for health brands to those in rural areas, those who require new prescriptions, or those who simply prefer the convenience of testing at home versus going into a physical office.
What’s Possible with IHD’s At-Home Tests
IHD offers over 100 tests across multiple categories, including infectious diseases, women’s health, men’s health, and overall wellness, as well as the ability to create custom panels, making it easier than ever to give patients the in-office experience from the comfort of home.
The IHD Daas platform is able to meet the unique needs of direct-to-consumer brands, and also has the bandwidth to scale and meet irregular volume requirements. The platform allows IHD to offer ultra-fast test results—within 24-72 hours—with better TAT. Additionally, IHD has a user-friendly and HIPPA-compliant consumer-facing front end that allows patients to receive and review their results online. Partners or providers also have the option to create custom white-labeled tests for a more personalized patient experience.
In partnering with IHD, companies can close the loop on virtual care and provide a fully digital experience for their patients, making it easier and more convenient than ever to provide and receive the care they need.