By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Strep Throat Test with No Wait or Lab Required
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Strep Throat Test with No Wait or Lab Required
BusinessDiagnosticsFinance

Strep Throat Test with No Wait or Lab Required

Deanna Pogorelc
Deanna Pogorelc
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

strep throat testWhat’s causing this terrible sore throat?

strep throat testWhat’s causing this terrible sore throat?

That question drives millions of people to doctors, urgent care clinics and emergency rooms each year (PDF). But it’s wasteful to the system, says Bliss Lansing, who founded the startup Health & Bliss Inc., because most sore throats are caused by a viral infection, and symptoms can be addressed with over-the-counter medications. Or, if it’s strep throat, the remedy is simply a prescribed antibiotic.

Instead of going to the doctor, who would likely collect a throat culture and send it to a lab to be tested for strep, or just prescribe an antibiotic anyway, the team at Health & Bliss thinks people should go to a pharmacy or clinic.

More Read

Reframing the Question of Doctor Frustration
The Death Of Disease Management (Finally)
Nearly All US Hospitals Use Social Media: Now What?  
Sequestration Reduced Your Medicare Pay? You Have Four Options
5% of Patients Account for Half of Health Care Spending

The emergence of rapid strep testing kits has started that movement. MinuteClinic, for instance, lists a quick strep test for $27 on its website. Lansing said these quick tests can analyze throat swabs in 10 to 15 minutes and are much more efficient that the gold standard throat culture that needs to be sent to a lab. But they still require quite a bit of hands-on time for the care provider, because they contain test trips, chemicals, plastic tubes and cardboard holders.

Her startup’s Strep Test Anywhere has turned that same science into a convenient, self-contained test. “We’ve removed the need to perform the test in a lab with a built-in lab environment that eliminates the risk for cross-contamination,” she said. “The hands-on time for the physician is under 30 seconds.”

That’s a valuable proposition for patients, providers, and payers, she explained. First, it would allow patients to skip going to a primary care provider and opt for a clinic or pharmacy instead, where they would pay out-of-pocket for the test. It’s priced to be comparable to the average co-pay — around $30, Lansing said. In the wake of a primary care shortage, providers would probably like that idea, too.

Payers would like it, too, because it would result in fewer claims and could eliminate costs associated with unnecessary doctor visits and unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, she said.

The company has collected pre-clinical lab data on its test and is now working on developing clinical protocols. The next step, Lansing said, is completing a 510(k) application and performing a clinical trial to evaluate the test’s sensitivity and specificity.

As the company looks toward a Series A to fund that trial, Lansing said she thinks the company will be intriguing to investors. “Not many medical device VCs get the opportunity to work with a retail product,” she explained. “We’re a retail medical device that is out-of-pocket, which is a unique proposition. We really see the public and providers and payers understanding the vision.”

Lansing got the idea for the test when she was doing research on corporate wellness as part of her master’s program in exercise science. The company is now part of the ZeroTo510 medical device accelerator in Memphis and is preparing for demo day on August 8.

Originally published on MedCityNews.com.

TAGGED:Health & Blisshealth startupstrep throat
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Interest Groups: Hurtling Us Down the Road to Ruin

June 25, 2013
healthcare financial disaster
BusinessFinance

Top 10 Ways to Prevent Healthcare Financial Disaster

October 8, 2013
BusinesseHealthHospital AdministrationMobile HealthSocial Media

Social Media and Healthcare: Creating a Healthy Relationship

June 24, 2015
Business

The Technology and Services You Need to Open Your Own Counseling Office

December 23, 2022
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?