Is Point of Care Testing (POCT) a Real Opportunity?

I feel that POCT will become an important means for delivering rapid laboratory testing to the patient. Overall, the physicians and clinics we interviewed were interested in the value that POCT offered to their patients, including rapid results and a smaller sample size. Most clinics are already utilizing CLIA-waived (simple testing), such as the rapid flu and strep tests. I feel that the demand for faster test results will help the POCT market continue to grow in the future. POCT helps physicians to make quicker diagnoses and provide the right treatment to the patient early, thus helping to reduce the costs of healthcare. I feel that POCT could make a huge impact in the infectious disease sector. Clinicians often cannot distinguish between bacterial, parasitic, viral, fungal, or noninfectious causes. An accurate diagnostic test that could help identifies the causative agent of a disease would be a huge benefit; POCT could offer this type of test. I feel the potential applications for POCT are endless. However, in order for POCT to be successful, I feel that the issues of accuracy, reimbursement and costs will need to be addressed. Many physicians feel that the rapid tests are not as reliable as the conventional laboratory testing. In order, for future companies to be successful in the POCT market, they will have to be that their tests are reliable and accurate. Also, another issue that some physicians have with the POC tests is the issue surrounding reimbursement and cost. Most insurance companies do not fully cover POC tests, I feel that companies that are serious about entering the POCT market will have to help push the reimbursement of the their tests in order to be