A new partnership between Intermountain Health and Testmate Health aims to bring rapid, lab-quality STI testing out of the central lab and into underserved communities, addressing persistent gaps in diagnosis and follow-up care.
Testmate Health and Intermountain Health have entered a strategic partnership and investment aimed at accelerating access to rapid, low-cost molecular testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the US.
For clinical laboratory leaders, the collaboration signals a growing push to move high-quality molecular diagnostics closer to patients, particularly those belonging to underserved and high-risk populations.
STIs continue to represent a major public health challenge, with an estimated 80% of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections going undiagnosed each year. Delays in testing and treatment are especially common among college students, LGBTQ+ populations, and patients served by rural or resource-limited clinics. The two organizations say their partnership is designed to close those gaps by making accurate, lab-quality testing available outside of traditional laboratory environments.
Bringing Molecular Diagnostics Beyond the Central Lab
Under the agreement, Intermountain Health will support the deployment of Testmate’s single-use, reader-free molecular tests for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The tests are designed to deliver results in under 30 minutes and do not require central lab infrastructure. They can be used with urine or swab samples, offering flexibility for a range of care settings.
Karen Brownell, vice president of Lab Services at Intermountain Health said, “When these STI tests become FDA-approved in the US, Testmate’s innovative approach to molecular diagnostics will allow us to deliver lab-quality results outside traditional lab settings, directly impacting communities that have historically lacked access to timely testing.” (Photo credit: ContactOut)
Addressing Access, Turnaround Time, and Follow-Up
Testmate’s leadership emphasized that reducing barriers to testing is central to improving outcomes. Rapid turnaround times may help clinicians initiate treatment during the same visit, reducing loss to follow-up—a persistent issue in STI management.
The organizations say combining Testmate’s physician-developed diagnostics with Intermountain’s clinical infrastructure could also lower overall healthcare costs by enabling earlier detection and treatment.
For laboratory leaders, the collaboration highlights a broader trend toward decentralized molecular testing and point-of-care strategies that complement, rather than replace, core laboratory services. As health systems look to improve access and equity while managing costs, partnerships like this one may foreshadow how labs extend their impact beyond traditional walls.
—Janette Wider
