Five Trends in Diagnostics

Bifurcation of testing: Traditional labs are getting bigger and bigger. At the same time, there is rapid growth in point-of-care technologies. Hospitals and physicians are investing in doing more work themselves, faster, where the patient can immediately benefit. The marketplace is simultaneously sizing up and down.
 

Robotics: Advances in technology coupled with a scarcity of qualified laboratory staff means more labs are using robotic technologies to handle the workload. The automation trend is further catalyzed by a need for greater efficiencies in the healthcare system. Speed and repeatability are the game.
 

Speed: Consistent with the growth on point-of-care testing, Donnelly spoke about the increasing need for faster results. "Getting A1C3 numbers right at the appointment, where the physician and patient can discuss it is a great value," he said. Improving outcomes means speeding up testing.
 

Biomarkers and targeted therapies: Research will increasingly focus on biomarkers for diagnostics, Donnelly stressed. If a patient has a potential for MRSA, or even clotting, it's better for a hospital looking for outcomes-based pay and lowered readmits to know that up front, he explained.
 

Connectivity: Whether it's a seamless data transfer from a diagnostic device to an electronic health record, or, more disruptive, clinically centered decision support systems that pull unexpected treatment insights from information on the cloud, connectivity rules.