Beyond the Kit: Unlocking the Power of White-Label Health Testing Platforms

The digital health market is predicted to reach $549.7 billion by 2028 after achieving an estimated value of $180.2 billion in 2023.¹ The writing is on the wall: from patient record systems to wearable fitness trackers, health and wellness is going digital. 

At the core of all these digital innovations are platforms that collect, track, analyze and demystify data so organizations and their end-users can utilize it. 

Consider at-home tests; these kits provide valuable insights into user health profiles through health screening solutions, chronic condition risk analysis, nutrient deficiency assessments and more. However, it is the health testing platform providing support before, during and after the test kit's role that makes or breaks the user experience. The API is the backbone of the test patient's journey, determining everything from timeline and quality of customer service to results comprehension and future engagement. 

That’s right, white-label health testing platforms are good for more than just sharing lab results.

Not all platforms are created equal

Digital health platforms are the infrastructure that supports the launch and operation of diagnostic testing services. A white-label platform is designed to easily integrate with partner processes and connect their users with lab-grade solutions. 

However, not all platforms offer the same level of functionality; organizations interested in custom at-home health testing solutions will need to consider their choice of partner carefully. 

What to look for 

A sophisticated biomarker testing platform should grant access to:

✔️ CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified lab testing partnerships 

While CLIA certification establishes the minimum requirements for laboratories, CAP accreditation is only undertaken by the most advanced labs as it requires the highest quality standards and procedures.²³ Look for lab integrations that comply with both, signaling their adherence to rigorous practices. They incorporate the latest updates in medicine and technology, and are committed to analytical standardization and referencing interval harmonization for candidate assays to ensure consistent test result interpretation. 

✔️ HIPAA-compliant, secure patient portals 

HIPAA compliance is a crucial requirement for any platform handling patient data. Beyond that, extra security measures are needed to ensure patient and partner data remain secure, especially given the recent increase in reported data breaches like the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare or the hacking of pharmacy fulfillment startup Truepill, which confirmed in late 2023 that hackers accessed personal health data of over 2.3 million patients.

✔️Medical oversight

Physician involvement in lab analysis is a valuable step in the test verification process. It can reduce errors, provide contextualization and address partner concerns. In the post-test journey, telemedicine consultations facilitate treatment services and reduce misinformation by providing critical support in interpreting results. A recent study on patient comprehension reported that 35.2% struggle to understand their lab results, and 67% cannot decipher details like medical terminology or reference ranges.⁴

✔️ Established workflows

Seamless processes for fulfillment, logistics and operations will facilitate easy, efficient testing experiences. Clear paths for each type of user journey will ensure that partners and patients are guided every step of the way while minimizing bottlenecks, errors and other factors contributing to churn rates.

What to avoid

In the search for platform best practices, organizations should also be wary of the risks in partnering with a platform that:

✖️ Works with unproven labs

Less stringent lab standards leave more room for error, decreasing consistency, standardization, and, thus, the reliability of results. These platforms may also be more likely to deprioritize scientific integrity and improvements to analysis or interpretation processes.

✖️ Lacks data safeguards

Security concerns are at the top of everyone's mind. In addition to individual cases found in news articles, the HIPAA Journal has reported increasing rates of health data breaches. As of January 2024, The Department of Health Services Office for Civil Rights had received reports for 725 data breaches involving 500 or more health records in 2023.⁵ Fewer security safeguards also increase the risk of legal or compliance implications for partners.

✖️ Fails to pressure test processes 

Untested workflows risk buckling under capacity demands and insufficient human checkpoints for catching errors. A recent scoping review indicates that electronic healthcare processes lacking expert oversight from relevant medical professionals often lead to incomplete, incorrect or conflicting responses to user needs.⁶

Think outside the box 

Advanced health testing platforms unlock the full potential of personalized biomarker data — the key is understanding how to align this power with company initiatives.

The limitations of test kits

Brand loyalty is valuable, be it establishing word-of-mouth channels to draw in new users or boosting retention rates and profits.⁷ While private-label health testing boxes and insert cards lay the foundation, the physical kits and test-taking process lack the personal touches and additional points of engagement needed to maintain true brand loyalty or affinity.

These missing touchpoints can also result in a disconnected health journey. Standard lab results do not provide full explanations or tailored intervention recommendations. With many users struggling to understand and follow through on technical health information — health illiteracy affects an estimated nine out of 10 adults and adds $106 to $238 billion to annual healthcare spending⁸⁹ — platform-accessible support, like telehealth consultations, is sorely needed. Even if users could translate technical lab results, without the backend infrastructure to store, aggregate and crunch numbers, organizations are not able to glean valuable insights into their user bases or offer personalized solutions. 

The limitless potential of platforms

Full-service, white-label health testing platforms are the connection point between partners and their users, enhancing corporate offerings and patient experiences through:

Scalability

White-label testing platforms make it possible to keep up with other industry leaders by offering personalized health solutions at scale. 

On the backend, platforms with pressure-tested workflows are integral to seamless patient journeys, especially as needs grow. The influx of reported security breaches by health providers also underlines the critical value of a partner that can maintain thorough health data security for businesses, regardless of swift increases in user demand.

On the patient-facing side, providers can offer more personalized, engaging care by using advanced diagnostic products and platforms to increase targeted screenings, monitoring and touchpoints. With poor provider-patient communication linked to 19% higher non-adherence,¹⁰ patient portal-facilitated connections can directly benefit health outcomes. The ability to conduct frequent individual check-ins across a large audience will also build user confidence, address health literacy issues and nurture overall satisfaction rates.  

Cost-effectiveness

Digital diagnostic platforms grant partners access to established lab testing infrastructures and verified processes without the heavy resource lift, such as the costly setup of all logistical, operational and security measures.

Other cost considerations include reducing healthcare expenses by increasing awareness of risk factors and preventive health measures. For corporate benefit stakeholders, for example, platforms are more than just wellness testing programs for employees. Patient portals can act as much-needed chronic care resources, helping to curb the estimated $36.4 billion U.S. employers lose annually to chronic condition-related absenteeism.¹¹

Platforms also present revenue opportunities beyond the at-home test kits. White-label platforms can increase lifetime value by validating other products, services, treatment plans or healthcare packages. A sophisticated patient portal can use hard data from lab results to prove that a tailor-made solution is working, outlining the advantages of sticking with it while catering to growing consumer interest in biometric data-led wellness recommendations.¹² Wellness businesses may also use this capability to guide consumers towards related products, creating cross-selling, bundling and retention opportunities.

Ongoing support

White-label kits and platforms combine diagnostics, databases and human connections to create an innovative care delivery method that benefits partners, providers and patients alike.¹³ 

Better health requires continuous effort. Platforms allow partners to address the entire health journey, incorporating past and present health information within a convenient ecosystem for users to order tests, request support and access end-to-end services. 

Studies indicate that up to 30% of costly readmissions are avoidable,¹⁴ with misunderstood follow-up care instructions identified as a primary cause. Organizations can deliver more personalized care by using platforms to provide active, customized support, like answering care management queries, while reducing other resource burdens. 

From hand-picked test panels and custom communication methods to personalized care and follow-up services, partners can tailor their test experience and platform to address specific user needs and organizational objectives. 

Incoming innovations

Biomarker testing platform development will continue to address emerging healthcare challenges by providing new methods of analyzing and converting health information.

Platforms are already being used to piece together fragmented patient health data gained through at-home health test kits, telehealth consultations and other supplementary sources like wearables. Soon, patient portals will be able to incorporate more transformative technology, like virtual reality, to take user interactions to the next level.

The trending topic of artificial intelligence (AI) is, of course, expected to enhance platform capabilities in even greater ways, altering everything from healthcare data management to diagnostic and treatment analysis. For example, a platform's aggregate health data may be analyzed and used to develop AI-powered algorithms that help identify novel disease subsets or risk factors of medical conditions in even more detail.

As machine learning capabilities grow, pioneering platforms will continue to find fresh ways to collect and convey critical health information in an effort to improve results interpretation, medical advice adherence and, ultimately, health outcomes.

Summary

As more organizations seek to provide personalized well-being solutions, white-label health testing platforms will serve as a conduit, supplying custom test panels and comprehensive support to wellness businesses, healthcare services, benefits organizations and end-users alike. These platforms will continue to revolutionize how we analyze and leverage data to improve health outcomes and optimize performance by using technological advancements like AI to reshape capabilities.  

imaware offers a pioneering platform with advanced capabilities, from access to top-tier CAP-accredited, CLIA-certified labs to a HIPAA-compliant health testing platform providing competitive scalability and end-to-end services. Explore how imaware's white-label solution helps partners unlock the power of personalized health data, target business objectives and empower patients with tailor-made solutions for peak well-being.