New ideas about more efficient ways to provide phlebotomy services are springing up. With the advent of mobile apps, new entrepreneurs are tapping into a previously nonexistent field, mobile phlebotomy. The business model is simple but brilliant. Use a mobile app to request a phlebotomist to provide a service in rural areas where distances make it hard for patients to reach a clinic or a drawing station.
Another segment of the population in need of mobile phlebotomy services is the elderly. In the past, many elderly patients would have to drive themselves to the clinic or laboratory, even in cases when they were not in the best shape to drive, due to vision problems, Parkinson's disease, etc. This would put them and others on the road at risk. Another safer option was to call an ambulance to take them to the Emergency Department (ED) for routine blood work. This was a very costly way to go about getting blood work done.
Mobile phlebotomy services can easily reach out to patients in need and provide an alternative to costly ED trips or dangerous self-drives. Ease in scheduling a blood draw from the comfort of your home provides the convenience of not traveling as well as a much safer environment with minimal human interaction and a reduced chance of spreading any infections (e.g., Influenza, COVID-19).
Startups like Getlabs, Inc. provide mobile phlebotomy services throughout several states and are quickly spreading around the country.
