Recent trends in diagnostic testing

The healthcare sector including diagnostic industry is going through constant technology changes, and the industry must be conscious of these changes and continuously update themselves to remain competitive. Some of the changes sweeping through the healthcare sector, particularly the diagnostic sector, are discussed here.

Home healthcare. The home collection of body samples is catching up very fast and patients are now comfortable getting themselves tested at home. Most players offer blood collection at home at no extra cost, and this has become a boon as far as patients are concerned. In recent years, tests such as ECG and ultrasound are made available at home, and this will only increase in the near future.

Teleradiology/telepatholgy. Experienced radiologists and pathologists are in short supply in India and teleradiology and telepatholgy play a big role in interpretation of images as well as body specimens. Teleradiology and telepathology also play a big role in getting second opinions, which will help clinicians in better management of diseases.

Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools. Like in any other sector, AI will play a big role in diagnostic testing and solutions as well. AI systems can help healthcare practitioners diagnose disease-based medical images. It has been reported recently that meta-analysis has proven that diagnostic performance of deep learning AT tool was equivalent to that of a highly trained healthcare professional. In future, AI is expected to play a much bigger role in diagnostic testing and reporting.

Point-of-care testing. New technologies being developed allow testing near the patients, including their homes and offices. This helps in travel time and increased comfort to the patients. These new technologies include handheld testing equipment, handheld kiosks and digital transmission of data, which helps in on-the-spot diagnosis and solution. This also helps in digitization and storage of patient data, which will be available to the clinicians and patients at the touch of a button.

Predictive analysis. Genetic testing using body samples like blood, skin, hair, etc., will play a big role in preventive medicine in the years to come. Genome testing will be able to identify future risk of serious diseases, including cardiac diseases, cancer, etc. The potential is enormous as tests can identify mutations that increase the risk of genetic disorders, and most times will be a lifesaving solution for the customers.

Lab optimization solutions. Labs and clinicians are constantly seeking to reduce the number of tests that are required so that the patient gets enhanced value at lesser/optimum cost. This analytical tool can analyze vast amount of test results and help lab managers to identify unnecessary tests, but at the same time do not compromise on patient wellbeing.

Real-time diagnosis. There is an explosion of wearable devices in the market like watches, rings, patches, bandages, spectacles, clothing, etc. These wearables are able to collect real-time health data, such as pulse rate, blood pressure, sugar fluctuation, respiratory condition, etc., and give alerts to the patients and clinicians in real time. These devices capture much more data as compared to traditional testing and will be very useful to clinicians in decision making.

Challenges faced by diagnostic industry

• Diagnostic industry is mostly unregulated. There is no entry barrier in terms of approvals, accreditation, funding, etc. As a result, the organized market is not even 25 percent of the total market. This has resulted in the proliferation of smaller labs with no regulations as regards quality control and other standards. The industry expects central and state governments to prescribe certain minimum quality standards and accreditation requirements for establishing and running diagnostic centers. Such regulatory requirements can be implemented in a phased manner so as not to impact the very survival of the small lab businesses.
• Healthcare services are not subject to GST, though almost all input costs suffer GST. Perhaps the government’s thought process is that levy of GST will be unpopular. On the contrary, levy of GST on healthcare services will benefit the consumers as this will bring down the cost of operations, which can be passed on to the consumers.
• In case the government is not inclined to levy GST on healthcare services, certain specific input materials/services specifically used by healthcare can be exempted from GST or rates brought down to the lowest slab.
• Despite significant technological advancements in curative as well as preventive diagnostics, our vast rural population is still not able to access such technologies for two reasons – lack of infrastructure and cost of such tests. Government support in extending such facilities to our rural population, whether through its own PHCs or through large chains of labs through PPP model will immensely benefit rural population.
• Tamil Nadu and a few more states have implemented free healthcare services to poor people and those schemes only cover hospitalization for disease management. The scheme may also cover wellness programs/basic screening (at least once in two/three years), so that diseases can be identified and treated well in advance. This might bring down the cost of healthcare support as treatment in initial stages will be less expensive.
• The government gives certain income tax benefits for wellness checks, but the amount eligible for such exemption is very meagre at ₹5000. The limit may be increased to ₹15,000 to encourage people to go for medical checks once in a year. Such exemption may be extended to only people above 40 years as that is the age group prone to diseases.