News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups
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Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups
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Debut of ixlayer on Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Businesses for 2023 Indicates a Dynamic Clinical Laboratory Test ‘Middleman’ Sector

Jan 29, 2024 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Resources, Laboratory Testing

Growth of the middleman company is a sign of increased credibility and acceptance among its client organizations

There’s a new category of player in the clinical laboratory testing industry. It is the “middleman” company. One high-profile example of a middleman company in diagnostics is the company ixlayer of San Francisco, which has a novel plan for growth.

The software developer provides cloud-based diagnostic testing platforms to retailers, health plans, and biopharma companies. Medical laboratory tests are not processed by ixlayer, however, but are instead sent to independent CLIA-certified clinical labs for completion and results reporting.

Thus, ixlayer acts as a third-party “middleman” in the lab testing chain.

Ixlayer recently debuted as number 1,418 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the US, according to a company news release. Might this signal a dynamic and expanding clinical laboratory middleman sector?

There are a number of other established middleman companies doing this on the web as well, including:

Produced by Inc. Business Media, the Inc. 5000 list is based on data analysis of the fastest growing private businesses in the US. Ixlayer reportedly grew its 2023 revenue 100% year-over-year. 

Pouria Sanae

“To be selected for the Inc. 5000 list is an honor that validates the value we deliver while enabling greater access to care for all,” said Pouria Sanae (above), co-founder and CEO of ixlayer. “We’ve developed a platform that powers millions of diagnostic tests each year and serves as the backbone of thousands of health testing programs for trusted health brands, healthcare delivery organizations, payers, and life sciences companies. I’m excited about the future as we redefine and simplify the diagnostic laboratory testing ecosystem.” (Photo copyright: ixlayer.)

Ixlayer Works with Retailers, Insurers, Biopharma, and Clinical Labs

Ixlayer “facilitates” tests by working with industry partners and clinical laboratories, Managed Healthcare Executive explained.

One such relationship is with retailer CVS, Fierce Healthcare reported. Ixlayer provides the cloud-based diagnostics platform, at-home sample collection kits, and coordination of testing services for some of the pharmacy company’s at-home testing products. They include:

“With nearly 70% of medical decisions dependent on lab testing, regular diagnostic testing is a cornerstone of improving health and wellness,” Pouria Sanae, co-founder and CEO of ixlayer, told Drug Store News. “At-home testing enables people to proactively take control of their health, on their own schedule, in the privacy of their own home and on a regular basis. Our mission of creating a healthier world through more accessible, affordable, and easy health testing requires systemic changes and buy-in from key stakeholders and partners.”

Ixlayer directs specimens to independent labs that perform the tests and report results to consumers via an online portal.

“Founded in 2018, ixlayer initially focused on remote lab testing for Alzheimer’s disease patients. The company now offers thousands of white-labeled, at-home, and onsite health tests ranging from women’s wellness to sexually transmitted diseases and chronic condition management,” the news release notes.

“We’re thinking of it more from the perspective of: How do we infiltrate this infrastructure into our whole healthcare ecosystem? How do we let traditional providers run their programs the way they want to?” Alecia Pritchett, ixlayer Chief Growth Officer, told Managed Healthcare Executive.

Ixlayer “is not a lab,” Managed Healthcare Executive explained. “It describes itself as a platform. Instead of performing its own lab tests, it connects providers and retailers to accredited laboratory partners. Instead of sending out its own team of phlebotomists to collect blood samples, the company coordinates with mobile phlebotomy firms.”

“This comprehensive data visualization solution provides a more insightful analysis of testing performance data, empowering health plans, retailers, and biopharma organizations to monitor and manage progress in real-time effectively. With this actionable intelligence, decision-makers can focus on addressing gaps in care, accelerating access to critical drug studies, and promoting greater health equity to improve clinical and quality outcomes and economics across the healthcare ecosystem,” said David Yu, Chief Product Officer at ixlayer, in a news release.

Any Lab Test Now Also Makes Inc.’s 5000 List

Also making the 2023 Inc. 5000 list is Any Lab Test Now, an Alpharetta, Ga.-headquartered laboratory franchise that was founded in 2007. Any Lab Test Now is another form of middleman company which bills itself as the nation’s first direct access lab testing service with 200 locations. This is Any Lab Test Now’s second consecutive year on the list, according to a news release.

Unlike ixlayer, Any Lab Test Now’s business model features independently owned and operated locations around the US. Customers go online to choose a testing location, pay for tests, and schedule an appointment. Tests include:

At-Home Testing Market Growing

Allied Market Research reported that the global at-home testing market is expected to grow by about 10.5% annually from 2022 to 2031, when it will reach $45.5 billion.

Another middleman company offering at-home tests is Everlywell of Austin, Texas. Other middleman companies that enable consumers to order tests online and then visit a local clinical laboratory for specimen collection include Testing.com and Walk-In-Lab.com.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for at-home sample collection testing has grown steadily. Dark Daily has covered this in numerous ebriefs. That middleman companies are showing up on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies indicates that the middleman sector of the clinical laboratory testing industry is growing as well.

—Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information:

ixlayer Joins the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in America

2023 Inc. 5000 List Company Profile: ixlayer

Health Tech Startup ixlayer Partners with CVS on Home Health Tests

ixlayer Enhances At-Home Diagnostic Health Testing Platform with Cutting-Edge AI and Data Visualization

Any Lab Test Now Lands on Prestigious Inc. 5000 for Second Consecutive Year

What’s Next for At-home Diagnostic Testing: Four Trends to Watch in 2024

Allied Market Research: Home Testing Market

Vitals Study Shows Consumers Using Cost Transparency Tools Select Clinical Laboratories with Low Test Prices

Dec 23, 2016 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

Researchers find shopping for medical laboratory tests increased by nearly 50%, and people are saving more than a million dollars annually by shopping for blood tests

Each year, more consumers use online healthcare price-shopping tools to find hospitals, physicians, and clinical laboratories that have the lowest prices. And medical laboratory tests is among the top services on their lists!

Researchers at Vitals of Lyndhurst, NJ, a company that publishes online physician ratings, analyzed how consumers were using its price and quality transparency tools. They confirmed that shopping for medical laboratory tests/blood work is one of the top healthcare procedures checked by consumers.

According to a recent Vitals press release, approximately 46% more people shopped for blood tests in 2015 than the year before, and they saved $1,149,682 by doing so. That’s because their health plans reward them for selecting good quality and low-price providers, as well as adopting healthy behaviors, such as losing weight, exercising more, and lowering high cholesterol scores. (more…)

American Medical Association’s Study of Nation’s 25 Largest Health Insurers Indicates that Biggest Companies Hold Dominant Market Share in Most Regional Markets

Jan 9, 2015 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Survey results show pathologists and clinical lab managers why largest health insurers have market clout and can exclude local labs from their provider networks

Over the past two decades, ongoing mergers and acquisitions of health insurance organizations have led to ever-greater concentration of market share, even as the number of large health insurance companies has shrunk. One consequence of this trend is that many clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups have lost access to managed care patients.

The degree of market concentration will surprise most pathologists and medical laboratory professionals. The concentration of market ownership is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the 25 largest health insurers in the United States now control two-thirds of this $744-billion market. But the largest plans are not necessarily the best, according to 2013 consumer satisfaction surveys conducted by J.D. Power & Associates. (more…)

HEDIS Data Provides Evidence that Physicians Are More Effective in Using Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests Improve Patient Care

Mar 28, 2012 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations

NCQA published annual report showing increased rates of screening for most of its HEDIS quality measures and medical laboratory testing often plays a role in these screening activities

For almost a decade now, clinical laboratories and pathology groups have been asked by many private payers to provide laboratory test data for a number of clinical services. In turn, these private health insurers annually submit this data to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) program managed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

Although their medical laboratories regularly feed this data to payers, few pathologists or lab administrators track how HEDIS data is used by NCQA. Thus, it is useful to know that, over the years, HEDIS data provides evidence that better utilization of certain clinical laboratory tests by physicians directly contributes to measurable improvements in patient outcomes across the United States.
(more…)

Behavioral Economics Likely to Push Up Utilization of Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests

Jan 28, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology

Wellness Programs Require Appropriate and Timely Use of Medical Laboratory Tests

Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers know that smoking, obesity and unnecessary utilization are major factors in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. These are primary reasons behind the desired transition from reactive and acute care to a health system organized to deliver proactive care.

Consumer cooperation will be essential for this transition to succeed. Each year, the number of employer-funded or insurer-funded health and wellness programs increases. That trend is consistent with the federal government’s interest in promoting its own health and wellness programs as one way to lower the total cost of healthcare.
(more…)

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