Webinars

^{Michael Kalinowski}: Thank you very much for joining us for this direct-to-consumer lab testing webinar, focusing this time on expanding lab services and adding revenue. We're talking about improving patient outreach within the clinical laboratory. I'm very pleased to have a couple of very important guests with us for this webinar, starting first with Jenny Bull.

Chief Operations Officer at Avero Diagnostics. Welcome, Jenny. We do appreciate your attendance today. 

Also Adam Carlin. He is a product manager for TestDirectly (TestDirectly.com).

TestDirectly is a direct-to-consumer lab testing web portal that is part of the LigoLab Informatics Platform. Welcome, Adam. We thank you as well for joining us today. 

Jenny was involved and has been involved with Avero Diagnostics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the themes I think that we're going to touch upon a lot during this webinar is how important it is for medical labs to be at the forefront of new laboratory information system (LIS) technology.

Avero Diagnostics deserves a lot of credit for being there. In the very early days of the COVID pandemic, knowing that there was a real problem with testing patients and testing them safely and at a very high volume, they grabbed hold of technology and put themselves in a position to not only improve the visibility of the laboratory, which was secondary at this point but to help patients that needed a very high volume of direct-to-consumer lab testing.

So, Jenny, talk a little bit about the spring of 2020. We're just starting to understand what Covid was going to be and how it was going to affect the laboratory, talk about your position there and some of the things that you were dealing with at the time.

_{Jenny Bull:} Thank you, Michael. Going back to the spring of 2020 and the pandemic. We've been working with LigoLab since 2014 so we were six years into our relationship and found ourselves needing to service a fairly large contract with the state of Florida, in which they needed the ability to have healthcare workers order and set up their own direct-to-consumer lab testing and get their own results (TestDirectly results time), but they also needed their long term care facilities to be able to be tested and managed by the state of Florida. We had a situation where we were wholly unprepared as a laboratory located out of Washington state, but we got together with LigoLab and talked through what was needed and what could be done.

TestDirectly (TestDirectly.com) was just in its infancy and we were able to pivot very quickly to provide services, both direct-to-consumer lab testing and the ability to test long-term care facilities and manage results on both sides.

This put us at the forefront of testing for COVID-19 and gave us the ability to be responsive and to be accessible. I think Adam will go through a lot of the details behind it, but it was just the start of the efficiencies that it brought into our lab to be able to meet the turnaround time and the need.

LigoLab and Testdirectly were very dynamic and very instrumental in our success during COVID and Adam, I'm happy to chime in as needed as you go through the presentation, but that's where it started and we still use it today. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: Here is the rundown of what we're planning to cover today, primarily Adam will be taking you through some clinical laboratory workflow such as patient outreach, patient self-registration, getting payment and insurance info up front, and home test kit testing, tracking, handling, and fulfillment.

After the presentation, we will open it up for a question and answer session where you can take advantage of the chat or Q&A option here on the Zoom call and ask questions of Jenny and Adam. 

So with that, Adam you can go ahead and share your screen and kick off the direct-to-consumer lab testing presentation. 

^{Adam Carlin}: So as the previous slide showed, we're going to go through multiple elements of the laboratory information system software and what is possible by using TestDirectly (TestDirectly com). So we're going to start with the home testing kit registration solution. 

One thing that became apparent during the pandemic was the idea of testing from home. We have developed and deployed the TestDirectly module, as you can see here, where the kits are pre-packaged. And so within the home testing kit, it's going to have a QR code, which is tied to this URL. So, essentially, the patient opens the package, scans the QR code, and that brings them directly to this screen.

So, as we can see here, we have details about the collection that we can provide, we can modify these photos, and we can add context on the site here, but as you can see here, simple instructions on how to collect your draw. So the first piece of information that we need from a patient is an email address.

Once a patient enters that here if indeed the email they entered is correct, they're going to receive a confirmation code. I'm going to pull that up right now.

Once confirmed, the patient will then enter demographic information. So another key addition, something that we've recently added, is the scan ID feature. We want to mitigate the potential chances of error, obviously for the patient and subsequently for your lab, so when we click on the scan ID button because I'm doing this from a laptop, it's going to ask me to pull a local file. But if we're doing this from a smartphone or a tablet, let's say on-site, it's going to automatically open the camera from that device to capture and scan that image. As you can see, we here are using a sample driver's license.

It pulled all this information. If it looks ok, we click ok, and that creates a profile for the patient. Now, let me just reload that page for one second. We're just going to register as a patient so we're going to re-send our confirmation code. I was signed in as another user, hence why it refreshed the page. So once we get back to the point where we are scanning our ID, we're going to pick it up from there. 

So as we can now see we've moved on to the next phase. After scanning and pulling all our bio details, it also pulled the address Information from the ID. Previously, a patient or staff member would have to manually enter all this information instead of it all being pre-populated. The key benefit in my eyes is ease of use and we're also mitigating any potential chances of error. 

So now the patient's information is in the laboratory software system (pathology lab software). The pre-packaged home testing kit is going to have an external barcode within the package and so from there, the patient is going to enter this information without the barcode or the dashes.

Then we're going to click on place order, but nothing occurs. Why is that the case? So we can add multiple layers of terms and conditions here. This can be related to one specific test or one specific provider, and this can be multi-layered, but as you can see here, this is where your liability waiver with testing terms can appear.

So a patient will not be able to finalize and create this order without agreeing to the terms and conditions. As we can see, it’s a very quick process upon registration, and the patient will land on this page. This gives them a chance to review their information and check if everything is up to standard.

So in terms of patient registration of a kit, it's as simple as these two pages and very straightforward. Once the patient has completed this, it does create an order in the system. So these kits originally can be distributed in any manner you see fit. So working with different clients the lab won’t need any of the patient information up front.

That's all gathered here. And once the patient has registered their kit, it will create a patient profile for them. It will also create the order that we just ran through. So from here, we've looked at this process from the patient's standpoint. If there are any questions at this point, more than happy to answer them before we jump on to the next screen.

^{Michael Kalinowski:} Just a quick one from me. Direct-to-consumer lab testing during COVID-19 was pretty self-explanatory. It was a lot of PCR testing (molecular LIS) for infectious results. For a workflow like this, Adam, what type of testing would this be most suitable for? Jenny can also certainly comment on that as far as what trends there might be in the laboratory world.

^{Adam Carlin}: Really good question. The beauty of this, in my opinion, is that it opens the TestDirectly system up to all specimen samples. Anything that can be collected safely and HIPAA compliant, we can build any test into the TestDirectly system.

We just looked at saliva self-collection, but the specimen can be from urine, blood, and anything else that's compliant. We can collect this and test this with TestDirectly. 

_{Jenny Bull}: I would just add that we see trends right now for health and wellness testing, gut microbiome testing, STI testing, and pretty much anything else that a patient could go in and order for themselves.

I think it's important to note that this system (TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com) can be used for physician ordering too. So if you have a physician that's going to be placing an order for you and you just need to go in and complete your registration and get the collection, then they're still going to be doing your follow-up care.

So TestDirectly is a vehicle that can be used both as a direct-to-consumer and a physician-directed lab testing solution. One thing we talked about too that might be worth mentioning is this LIS system software can be used for things like vaccinations. It doesn't just have to be lab testing. You could schedule a flu clinic or, it's also a good vehicle for getting the patient registered, tracking the specimen through the lab, and getting results back to the patient, regardless of the type of test or the collection workflow.

^{Michael Kalinowski}: Absolutely. The dynamic of how important it is to get payment upfront has also changed since the end of the pandemic, right? 

Jenny, can you talk about how important it is to get the correct payment information and insurance information, upfront to make sure that the lab gets paid for the services rendered?

_{Jenny Bull}: Yeah, very important. So you're right. A lot of this when it was government-funded would come through. People could enter HSA information if they had it, they could enter just a code if it was being done through an employer, for instance. 

Labs can verify that insurance information upfront to make sure that they're not putting in false or bad information and that when it gets to the lab, we still have the QA process that tends to hang things up at the upfront processes to ensure that we are getting good information.

^{Adam Carlin}: As Jenny just pointed out, we do have a payment validation module within TestDirectly. So there are two levels to this. The first level is it can be done manually. So this, again, is depicted by a queue, anyone who entered insurance information will go into that queue, and this can be a manual process that's built into the LIS software and deployed out of the box. For the automatic version, this can be run in the background. so this would check any insurance that is submitted. If it does clear, then it will not pop up in the queue.

if it wasn't cleared automatically, it will flag. In that instance, a rep can reach out to the patient if there's something wrong, or something doesn't match up. So that's all built into the TestDirectly system. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: OK, great. Adam, feel free to continue showing the next direct-to-consumer lab testing workflow.

^{Adam Carlin}: Perfect. So a really good segue into a couple of things that were just brought up there. We talked about payment processing, and, on the previous slides, we talked about the address search functionality, geo-services, et cetera. So the page that we are now on is the TestDirectly (TestDirectly.com) patient landing page.

If a patient arrives on this page, as we can see here, there are a couple of different manners in which they can search for a location. They can do the zip of the city or a specific facility name. So for now, we are just going to input a San Francisco zip code. We're going to search. And as we can see here, there is one patient service center available in this demo that we set up.

So as we can see here, there is room for your lab branding. This is the name of the location and we can see a couple of things here that we're going to walk through. First, we do have Google Maps built in here. So we click on the link. If we are on a smart device, it's going to bring us there no problem.

We can also check when the next available appointment is. It's presented here, but we can also click on this link to go through the booking process and choose our appointment time. If we click here, it's going to bring us to the available schedule. All this is fully controllable by you as a lab.

For example, if there were certain days in which you were closed, shorter schedule, whatever the case may be, we can have a different schedule for every day of the week, as well as having holidays built in. So Thanksgiving, Christmas, whatever, you’re never going to have the unwanted scenario where people have booked and you don't have anything available.

Okay, the final piece here is if we go back to the zip code entered of 94103. Based on the zip code entered, it's going to tell the patient how far they are away from a certain location. So if we take an example like New York. There may be a lot of locations. So from there, the patient is going to be easily able to see and select the closest option. So this is one way in which a patient can find a physical patient service center. Again, the first full workflow we looked at was registration on the external home testing kit. This, we're dealing with an actual patient service center.

If they come here, they can search, and this can be even more unique. So, what do I mean by that? As we can see here, TestDirectly com forward slash testdirectlypsc. We can also create specific URLs that are linked to either one site or to you as a lab providing testing in a physical location.

In this scenario that we set up, there's only one available item, so we were able to auto-fill that into the cart and save on clicks for the patient from here. As we can see, there is an area for additional information for branding and so forth.

Also, for a specific specimen type or test, you can add your imagery, and we also have the ability here to add instructions. Again, we showed them on the previous, screen in terms of saliva collection. So that is possible here, of course, from the PSC center. If we need to capture any required information, we can do that very, very easily from here as well.

_{Jenny Bull}: I think it's important to also talk through how TestDirectly during COVID handled parents coming in with underage children for testing. 

^{Adam Carlin}: Oh. Yeah. Thank you for bringing it up. 

There were scenarios in COVID where we had family testing. So in solving that problem, it's very easy for a patient, for a master account holder to add as many dependents as they are needed. So as we can see here, the scan ID functionality of course is available.

Once they've set up their initial master profile, they're scanning ID, they wouldn't have to use this, but they can also just use our primary address and copy that across. If we create a dependent here, the same button will appear. So we can create as many family members or whatever as needed.

And then from there, once they are created, we can choose which person we're testing for from here. So again, we talk about mitigation of errors. We don't want the wrong person's name on the wrong specimen and so forth. So this is how we solved that headache for want of a better expression.

You'll see a mix of questions with the aspects and then questions that don't. So if we try and move forward without entering race and ethnicity, the TestDirectly system's going to kick us back because these questions are indeed mandatory. So here, we're going to enter our values and we're going to move on to the next part.

We talked about on the previous page that we were able to choose our available appointments first. It doesn't matter in which order a patient does this. They want to do it first. That's fine. But again, if they don't, if they click on to site as we did, it will bring them to the same scheduling menu.

And so anytime a slot here is filled out, that slot will gray out. So again, there's no chance that we only have eight patients available for 30 minutes. We have 10 booked. That's not going to happen. So for now, we're just going to choose 11:30. And then again, something that we talked about that came up a minute ago was payment processing within the TestDirectly platform.

So a couple of examples we set up here. As a lab, we can relabel any payment source as needed. So, for example, this was just a macro template in the background that we were able to relabel as cash. And we can also put instructions for each payment method. So, again, This is dependent on us paying when we get to the location.

So our credit card processing is run through Stripe. So we're asking for the cardholder's name and the card number, and we're making sure all this information is valid before we move forward. Again, if some of this information is not valid, a patient will not be able to save a credit card.

And then last, but certainly not least, we also have insurance. So as we can see here, once I clicked on the drop down, it drops me into all available options. And this list, you guys have autonomy over what's presented here. So for you specifically as a lab, we can build or you can build your adequate list of insurance vendors.

Okay. So if we click here, we have the opportunity to enter this information manually, but as we can also see. We can scan an insurance card. Same technology, again, mitigating errors. 

We also have the ability for all payment sources to ask up front for a patient upload, like an image of said file. So, as we can see here, please include the insurance card image back up front.

So hypothetically, if we had these up front, again, we could run validation and so on. this can be turned on, turned off, or just supported, meaning a patient has the choice here to enter their information or upload a file. If they don't do it, they'll still be able to place their order.

It's the same thing as we talked about with terms and conditions. We can't place our order without acknowledging it. So once that's done, we place our order. And as we can see, the landing page is slightly different for here. We have the image, and your logo here, and again, this can be modified, if needed. So, in terms of patient scheduling to an actual physical location, I would love to take any questions and any comments that Jenny may have.

_{Jenny Bull}: The flexibility on this if you are doing direct-to-consumer lab testing, like a home test kit, with the geocaching, you can essentially make that available to the entire country. You can include states if you're doing it by insurance where you don't maybe have payer contracts, versus if you're doing it as we did for COVID where you have drive-thru sites and you want to target to people in a local community or county, and then a little bit more to your point of the individual QR codes, one way we used those was when we had employee testing where a university or healthcare institution wanted to be able to send their patients directly to the site to order the tests that they had approved.

They could provide their employees or students with a direct QR code or link to take them to only that one option. So the flexibility, and on the same note, the stringency you can put in place as a lab to control where you're testing is coming from and the front end is, is helpful. 

The other piece is that with what you just went through with the payment insurance, I think it's important to note that that could be interfaced directly with the LIS system. So, when this order comes through to the lab electronically, your staff is not re-entering it. The Data is pulled straight across.

You have their verified payment information, verified address, and ID. So it helps on the laboratory processing side to have all this done and verified up front and as part of the order. 

^{Adam Carlin}: Absolutely. Thank you very much for the comments. 

So the final screen that we are going to have a look at is basically what it would look like from the staff perspective. So we created two different types of orders. Again, the first one was a home testing kit. The second one was an actual appointment at a physical location.

So from a standpoint of processing for the staff, on the backend, we create a profile and assign a username and password. Once a staff member logs in, if indeed they have access to multiple locations, they'll be met with this dropdown. So again, for now, we're just going to have a look at the registration of a home testing kit.

So a staff member comes in, they select the provider division that they want to process orders for. And so if we refresh the check-in queue, we see the order that we created. The ID that we scanned is going to say the test name, and what payment source was entered, and from here, there are a couple of different ways or a couple of different steps that a staff member can take.

So we'll see here two icons. The first one, they're able to review any details. So again, standard protocol during COVID, before we could scan IDs and do things that way, we would run through this with the patient, and make sure everything looks up to scratch again to mitigate errors.

Regardless of which site we accessed upon login, you'll see here address search. So, again, this was pulled from the ID, but for whatever reason, if this needs to be updated, if somebody moved addresses, or whatever the case may be, we can either clear this or a staff member can come in, make a quick modification, click okay, and that will update that address.

So ease of use is very much at the forefront. The payment method was already created because this home testing kit was purchased in advance. Okay, so if we're happy with the data that we've reviewed, we can save and check in this order again. 

However upon check-in of the order, in terms of moving this order from TestDirectly into the laboratory information system. A user simply selects the orders that they want to release, and they release it. The processing queue in TestDirectly is almost like the last stop. This is a queue where we can analyze orders and make sure everything's up to par. 

If we have everything bagged and collected correctly, we release it, and this automatically triggers the EDI transmission to the LIS system. As Jenny stated earlier, all information that we collected here is electronically distributed. 

Now we're gonna change location within this domain, and this is more for the standard patient service center. So, what looks different here? Again, same patient. Same test, but because this is an actual in-person appointment, as we can see here, there is a schedule, date, and time assigned. So we can adjust these queues to show things in chronological order.

So, everything else applies in terms of we're going to check in a patient, we're going to do the collection. Once we've done that, we're going to release the order from the processing queue, and then that order has been transmitted to the lab. If we are creating a new order for a patient, same, everything else applies.

Staff can also use the scan ID functionality as well as patients. So again, in terms of order entry, if we have someone in front of us, we're doing this from a tablet and they've got their ID, this takes less than 30 seconds and has no chances of errors.

There is more here. If somebody isn't an admin, they can do an order search and they can also search via patient. If somebody is already in the TestDirectly system as an existing patient, we can quickly click new order and collect or just recreate and reuse the information we've already collected.

Plenty going on, and plenty of functionality, all available as it stands right now. So with that, I'm going to pass it back to Jenny.

_{Jenny Bull}: I just want to reiterate the simplicity of the TestDirectly (TestDirectly.com) system and scheduling and pulling the information over. I think you did a great job portraying that. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: All right. Well, I think we are at a point where we can open it up to questions and call upon the expertise of both Jenny and Adam and their experiences in this realm.

One question right off the bat is what's involved with the implementation of direct-to-consumer lab testing? What's needed? What type of training? What's the timeline? Adam, you can kick it off and then we can go to Jenny.

^{Adam Carlin}: So, in terms of a straight TestDirectly implementation, let's say, for example, we're setting it up and we want to use TestDirectly for processing and accessioning of orders. The implementation process can be done quickly. In terms of an actual timeline, based on availability, we can have you up and running within two weeks.

We know everybody's got a different schedule. so usually we give the guideline of between two weeks and a month for a standard implementation. Now, if we're interfacing, with an LIS system and with a laboratory billing component, whatever the case may be, this obviously will take a little bit more time.

But in terms of straight-up TestDirectly implementation, from start to finish, based on availability, we can have you up and running within two to four weeks. 

_{Jenny Bull}: I can confirm that. I think we did it in about three weeks on fire, but we use LigoLab Informatics Platform as our LIS system.

So our implementation was probably a little bit streamlined. But to your point, two to four weeks on just the development side on the background. From a lab perspective, it's quicker than that. You're defining your geography, where do you want this accessible? You're deciding, you know, what time slots you want to do? For instance, during COVID, we could see four patients every five minutes, and that was enough time to get them registered, take their swabs, and process their orders back to the lab.

It's really for the lab to define what you want to do. The training portion is super simple. The user interface is really easy. Pretty much everything that Adam reviewed in this demo encompasses everything the labs going to have to learn. So it's it's pretty straightforward.

It doesn't take technical staff to navigate it, and I'd say the onboarding for the lab and training could be done in one to two weeks, just depending on your clinical lab workflow. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: Very good. Next question, Jenny, we can start with you.

Based on your experience, what are the must-have elements, from a laboratory point of view, that you need to make direct-to-consumer lab testing not only possible but also effective?  

_{Jenny Bull}: Just understanding what you want to do. I mean, the TestDirectly system can do pretty much anything. So understanding what testing you can offer, what that's going to look like, and what workflow you need. 

One thing we haven't talked about yet is trackability.

So UPS, like if you're going to send a test kit out, the ability to communicate with the patient once they place that order that we did receive your order. We have sent that testing out and we know when it's coming back to the lab. So I think that the must-haves are from a lab standpoint, knowing what you want to market, having that kit ready, and what TestDirectly will allow you to do is collect that patient information, the payment, and then also track that from start to finish right up to the result being delivered.

^{Adam Carlin}: Michael, if I can just jump in at that point, Jenny, a kind of a light bulb went off. So obviously something that labs are always trying to solve is communication with the patient. So I know what we showed was more back end in terms of the actual lab processing, etc. But from a patient perspective, we provide the means for both automated email and SMS distributions.

So, for example, as Jenny said, if we're working with home testing kits and they're being ordered on the site, there are tracking links. There's updated information. We've received your test. Your kit has been shipped and so on. But if we're dealing with a physical patient service center again, once they've confirmed their appointment, they're going to get a confirmation email, which has a copy of their requisition template.

Once their results are available, they're going to receive an SMS message if indeed they opt-in along with a comp or your order is complete. Your results are available and all email templates and SMS messages are configurable for you as a lab. So again, we have standard cookie cutters that are built in there.

But let's say for a specific site or a specific test, we want to provide instructions in the email, whatever the case may be. You as a lab have full control over all of these communication distributions. So Jenny, thank you for bringing that up. 

_{Jenny Bull}: Yeah, Adam, and I think it might be worth talking to you about the mechanism to receive results and when I say that, I think more about the patient getting the result directly, but also situations like we had for testing for, with the penitentiaries and the long term care facilities where somebody else was managing the results coming back. Can you speak to that a little bit as well? 

^{Adam Carlin}: Yeah. Very prevalent during the pandemic. and that use case of is a really good example. If for whatever reason, we need to hold results or specifically if we need somebody to release them, we call it the physician release queue where any orders that are set up with certain criteria.

Let's say, for example, during the pandemic, a test was abnormal. So essentially, any orders of that nature, if they were flagged as abnormal, would go into a certain queue to be reviewed by an admin or a physician, whatever the case may be. So they would follow their protocol in this process. They would contact the organization or contact the patient directly. So they would have control from an internal standpoint before any orders are released and distributed. I'm talking about a COVID lab workflow, but this can be built around anything.

For example, with some of the new technology we have, let's say, a result triggered a telehealth appointment. This can be set up to where a patient's not going to receive their final report until they've had that telehealth appointment. They can talk with a physician, get the next steps, and so on.

We can withhold any results reports based on your needs. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: All right. Next question. we have tests to offer but do not collect specimens. Will that work with your TestDirectly system?

^{Adam Carlin}: Thank you, Kathleen, for the question. Yes, this is possible. So in the scenario that you described, we would be using TestDirectly for just the ordering process. No problem. Just certain tweaks to what we already have built and available, but that is possible.

_{Jenny Bull}: And I would add to that. There's, there are a couple of options. So the direct-to-consumer lab testing where the kits go out directly to the patient and they test at home, that would work in that scenario. The other one would be if you contracted with a collection agency.

So if you were doing a vaccination clinic or you were offering flu or respiratory testing during the fall, if you contracted with somebody that could do those collections for you, they could still utilize the TestDirectly user interface and process those back to the lab. 

^{Adam Carlin}: Yeah, and just to add to that, let's say, for example, we had a scenario where you just wanted to use the platform for, let's say, scheduling or you wanted to integrate that into your workflow. We can take the value proposition from TestDirectly to you and work that around your workflow.

The TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing system is massively flexible. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: All right. Time for one more. And then I'll let both of you enter your final thoughts as well. It may have been covered earlier, but we can touch upon it again. How do patients find my lab services for direct-to-consumer lab testing? 

_{Jenny Bull}: They log in to TestDirectly and type in their zip code and it'll bring up any available testing options. It's super simple. we had during the height of the pandemic a situation where a lot of people were using this platform and you could type in a zip code in California where we had a lot of drive-thrus, or in Washington and see multiple lab options, which when you are a patient looking, if I'm lab A and lab B that's 20 miles south of me is offering different testing or similar testing, me as a consumer, I can see what my options are.

So I can see that lab A is offering COVID testing or respiratory testing and what the price is. I can also see any other labs and what they choose to advertise on there. So you don't have to put your pricing on, but you can if you feel like that gives you a competitive edge. You can customize the screen that the consumer sees when they login which might make your lab stand out over other options they have.

So if you want to say same-day scheduling or appointments every two minutes, or we're super friendly and better than everybody else, or our pricing is great. and our turnaround time is fantastic. So there is a little bit of a marketing piece you can do as a lab if you're working in a geography that has more competition than others.

^{Adam Carlin}: Yeah, thank you, Jenny. And just to kind of add to that, the scenario just described is a patient landing on our page and entering their information. But as we previously showed as well, let's say, for example, a patient lands on your website as a lab. We can create specific URLs that will bring a patient to one of your specific sites or they'll bring the patient to your TestDirectly landing page.

So again, somebody comes on your site, they click on your homepage link, and it's going to show them all sites that are linked to you as a specific provider, so it makes it super easy and convenient for you guys to market from your website and then, within one click, redirect the patient back to TestDirectly.

So the open access market, they can find your site, but we can also direct them straight to your TestDirectly landing page via a unique URL. 

_{Jenny Bull}: One more thing I can add to that is if you want to market and advertise directly. So, a couple of use case scenarios, during COVID we had little cards with a URL or a QR code on them that we left with rental car facilities at the airport.

And in hotels, when people showed up and realized that they had to have testing before they could get on a flight or a bus or anything, it was easy for the commerce in the area to hand potential customers a card that said, ‘Hey, here's somewhere you can get a COVID test.’ Similarly, you could do the same thing if you were offering STI testing or take-home kits. You can place them in student health centers or anywhere that you want to reach your target audience.

^{Michael Kalinowski}: All right. Well said. Here’s an opportunity for you both to give your final thoughts. 

^{Adam Carlin}: We as a LIS company learned a lot during the pandemic, and in doing so, we were able to refine the TestDirectly system.

We're always trying to improve and we're always trying to stay one step ahead. Updates such as ID scanning and functionality like this are going to be something that we continue to grow and build out. Our goal is to build one simple direct-to-consumer lab testing platform for you as a lab to connect you with your patients and do this in the most streamlined way possible.

^{Michael Kalinowski}: All right, Jenny. 

_{Jenny Bull}: I think you said it well, Adam, the growth that I've seen in the TestDirectly system since we started in 2020, to where we are now in 2024.

We ran well over a million tests through it so I think that we were responsible or at least, partly, for some of those improvements. The responsiveness from the TestDirectly support team helped make it all possible. 

It’s been a great experience. I love the TestDirectly system. I will attribute a lot of this upfront process and interaction with the clients to our success. We didn't spend a lot of time talking about the efficiencies in the lab, but they are driven by this, too. So, it’s a great product. I'm happy to support it, and if anybody has any questions, I’m available past just today. 

^{Michael Kalinowski}: Awesome. That's a very, very fitting way to finish this webinar. Great info again. Jenny Bull, chief operations officer at Avero Diagnostics. Very familiar with patient outreach and the advantages that come with direct-to-consumer lab testing, and Adam Carlin, product manager for the TestDirectly product provided by LigoLab.