Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon, left, HDL chief medical officer Tara Dall, HDL chief executive Tonya Mallory and Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. (Photo by Burl Rolett)
A local biotech giant is using Richmond as a testing ground as it makes a bigger push to reach consumers.
Downtown-based Health Diagnostic Laboratory this week launched HDL Engage, the company’s first direct-to-consumer package of services since its founding in 2008.
HDL, which offers blood tests that indicate a person’s risk for certain diseases, previously relied on physician referrals and employer-based testing programs to push its services. But it sees an untapped market in going directly to the patient, said Anna McKean, HDL’s chief commercial officer.
“If you look at any given population, about 30 to 40 percent of people haven’t seen a physician in the last two years,” she said. “We had quite a bit of demand from people who wanted to take our testing that had family members who went through the employer screening.”
Consumers can walk into any of four recently opened HDL Hubs in Richmond – though appointments are encouraged – and have blood drawn for testing. About a week later, HDL sends the results to the consumer either by mail or electronically. The package includes information on how to contact and schedule an appointment with an HDL health consultant.
The entire process costs customers $295. It will not be billed to health insurance plans. The walkup testing is aimed at people who don’t have coverage and those with high-deductible insurance plans.
To back up its new program, HDL has employed a new marketing strategy to get its name in front of the public. It is advertising on social media, had an on-site appearance at Ellwood Thompson on Thursday and put up a billboard along Interstate 95 that will run through Memorial Day weekend.
The new-to-HDL advertising methods are aimed at reaching that 30 percent of the population that does not regularly see a physician, a subset that McKean said is often still concerned about their health despite the lack of a doctor-patient relationship.
“The overall trends in healthcare are for people to take more accountability for their health, we see it as a market that’s continuing to grow,” she said. “We looked extensively at the market and there are many more options for consumers now for direct testing.”
Richmond is a pilot market for HDL Engage. The company currently operates Hub locations at Reynolds Crossing, West Broad Village, Memorial Regional Hospital and the Boulders Office Park. HDL leased space for a fifth Hub in Chesterfield earlier this month.
The Hub spaces range from the single-station in the ACAC gym at West Broad Village that takes up only about 25 square feet to about 1,500 square feet at Reynolds Crossing’s Bon Secours Heart & Vascular Institute.
If the program takes off in Richmond, HDL will look to expand the Hub business into other markets. HDL’s busiest areas away from home are in Florida, California and Texas. McKean said the Dallas and San Antonio areas are likely targets for the next round of HDL Hubs.
Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon, left, HDL chief medical officer Tara Dall, HDL chief executive Tonya Mallory and Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. (Photo by Burl Rolett)
A local biotech giant is using Richmond as a testing ground as it makes a bigger push to reach consumers.
Downtown-based Health Diagnostic Laboratory this week launched HDL Engage, the company’s first direct-to-consumer package of services since its founding in 2008.
HDL, which offers blood tests that indicate a person’s risk for certain diseases, previously relied on physician referrals and employer-based testing programs to push its services. But it sees an untapped market in going directly to the patient, said Anna McKean, HDL’s chief commercial officer.
“If you look at any given population, about 30 to 40 percent of people haven’t seen a physician in the last two years,” she said. “We had quite a bit of demand from people who wanted to take our testing that had family members who went through the employer screening.”
Consumers can walk into any of four recently opened HDL Hubs in Richmond – though appointments are encouraged – and have blood drawn for testing. About a week later, HDL sends the results to the consumer either by mail or electronically. The package includes information on how to contact and schedule an appointment with an HDL health consultant.
The entire process costs customers $295. It will not be billed to health insurance plans. The walkup testing is aimed at people who don’t have coverage and those with high-deductible insurance plans.
To back up its new program, HDL has employed a new marketing strategy to get its name in front of the public. It is advertising on social media, had an on-site appearance at Ellwood Thompson on Thursday and put up a billboard along Interstate 95 that will run through Memorial Day weekend.
The new-to-HDL advertising methods are aimed at reaching that 30 percent of the population that does not regularly see a physician, a subset that McKean said is often still concerned about their health despite the lack of a doctor-patient relationship.
“The overall trends in healthcare are for people to take more accountability for their health, we see it as a market that’s continuing to grow,” she said. “We looked extensively at the market and there are many more options for consumers now for direct testing.”
Richmond is a pilot market for HDL Engage. The company currently operates Hub locations at Reynolds Crossing, West Broad Village, Memorial Regional Hospital and the Boulders Office Park. HDL leased space for a fifth Hub in Chesterfield earlier this month.
The Hub spaces range from the single-station in the ACAC gym at West Broad Village that takes up only about 25 square feet to about 1,500 square feet at Reynolds Crossing’s Bon Secours Heart & Vascular Institute.
If the program takes off in Richmond, HDL will look to expand the Hub business into other markets. HDL’s busiest areas away from home are in Florida, California and Texas. McKean said the Dallas and San Antonio areas are likely targets for the next round of HDL Hubs.