Northwell Offers App for Blood Draws at Home, Work

Northwell Health Labs has launched an app that can schedule blood draws at home or in an office instead of requiring a patient to drive to a doctor’s office or medical center.

 LabFly is available for download via Apple’s iTunes store and Google Play for Android users. Users enter their demographic information, take a photo of their insurance card and paper prescription, then choose a day and time slot to schedule a home or private office visit from one of over 150 Northwell Health’s lab experts. Caregivers can also schedule a blood draw for someone they are caring for. On the day of the appointment, a patient can view the location of the lab expert in similar fashion to popular ride-sharing apps. Patients can securely access their test results via the app within approximately four days.

This “concierge health care” app is the first of its kind in the nation to be released by a health system. 

Northwell said that laboratory testing is the single highest volume medical activity, with about 13 billion tests performed in the United States every year, according to lab accreditation bureau COLA. Industry studies indicate that approximately 70 percent of medical decisions are based on lab results, yet many patients who have prescriptions for lab work never get them filled.

To meet that demand, Northwell opened a $59 million, 101,000-square-foot core lab in Nassau County with the largest automated testing line of its kind and a $47 million, 36,000-square-foot microbiology lab in Queens – all since February.

“At Northwell, we continually look for ways of making it easier for patients to access our programs and services,” Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health president and chief executive officer. “Northing enhances consumer convenience like the LabFly app, enabling patients to get their blood drawn at home. This first-of-its-kind service is just the latest innovation developed by Northwell Health Labs to expand testing to more people and to more communities throughout the metropolitan area, solidifying its growing reputation as a leader in laboratory services.”

The fee for lab testing is covered by most patient’s insurers. There is also a fee of $19.99, which includes transportation and sample collection.

The app is operating across Long Island.

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