Heal to Offer Advanced Diagnostic Tests to U.S. Allergy Sufferers During Convenient House Calls
Physicians can now order and obtain Thermo Fisher Scientific allergic sensitization tests for patients in connection with in-home or in-office visits, helping diagnose and treat respiratory and food allergies more personally and conveniently
KALAMAZOO, Mich., July 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Heal, a leader in physician house calls, announced that it will make advanced diagnostic allergic sensitization tests from Thermo Fisher Scientific available through its team of more than 110 licensed, vetted and qualified physicians. Heal makes healthcare more convenient and customized, in this case delivering better allergy care by offering access to state-of-the-art blood testing in the patient’s home where Heal physicians can also see firsthand specific household and environmental allergens.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates that more than 50 million Americans experience various types of allergies each year, with allergies being the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S. Additionally, about one in twelve people have asthma, and the numbers are increasing every year, many of which also have allergic triggers. See www.allergyinsider.com for more on allergies, symptoms and diagnosis.
If, during a home visit, a Heal-network physician suspects an allergy and wishes to help confirm or rule out that suspicion with diagnostic tests, he or she can draw a blood sample to be processed in a qualified lab using Thermo Fisher’s ImmunoCAP test. Unlike a skin prick test, for which the clinician would need to interpret a response onsite, the results from the Thermo Fisher in vitro diagnostics test can be reviewed later during follow-up with the patient, which may not require an actual face-to-face encounter. Heal patients can proactively request that Heal physicians consider the need for testing of respiratory and food allergies during a house call.
“As an allergy sufferer myself, I’m thrilled that Heal doctors are now first to conduct Thermo Fisher’s allergic sensitization testing in the privacy of the patient’s own home,” said Nick Desai, chief executive officer and co-founder of Heal. “With Thermo Fisher, we’re combining state-of-the-art, easy blood testing with the added benefit of doctor’s purview of the home environment. These elements combined enable doctors to better determine a more precise diagnosis, allergy causes, and treatment plan, than ever before.”
Accessible through a smartphone or computer, Heal provides vetted, qualified medical physicians to patients within two hours, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since its inception less than three years ago, Heal has delivered more than 60,000 house calls across the U.S., and the company estimates this accounts for $41 million in healthcare cost savings. Through its network of physicians, the company serves patients in California, within Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, the Inland Empire and Silicon Valley, as well as in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. Heal plans to expand to New York, Boston and Seattle by the end of 2018. Patients can visit http://www.heal.com/allergy to schedule an appointment.
“The ability of Heal physicians to order tests, obtain samples and later discuss the test results in the comfort of a patient’s home or work allows them to be as agile as any medical provider in an office setting,” said Rebecca Rosenberger, MMSc, PA-C, senior manager, clinical affairs & education, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Once results are processed in the lab, test results are easy to interpret and allow providers to better diagnose and manage patients with allergic disease.”
ImmunoCAP is the most widely used specific IgE blood test, and its accuracy has been documented in more than 4,000 peer-reviewed publications. The tests can identify allergic sensitization to common environmental allergens – seasonal and perennial, indoor and outdoor – as well as common food allergies including peanuts, eggs and milk. ImmunoCAP tests can be ordered for patients of any age regardless of skin condition, current medication, symptom, disease activity or pregnancy status.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.
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Christine Williamson
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SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific