WHOSE INFORMATION IS IT ANYWAY?
Elizabeth Holmes is the founder of Theranos, a company that is dedicated to saving lives by inventing medical tests that are fast, convenient, and cheap. Theranos is definitely a potential disruptor to the medical testing industry as Kimberly Weisul reports(“The Longest Game” Inc. October 2015. pp. 48–51, 146, 147):
“ Theranos never charges more than half the rate set by Medicare for blood tests; in some cases, it’s a 10th of the cost. A test for HIV can cost more than $80. Theranos charges $16.56. ” (p. 146)
Of course, some question the value of making hundreds of test available when the average consumer may not have the most complete comprehension on how to interpret the results. This kind of a response always bothers me. The implicit tone is that you or I cannot be trusted to do our homework. That is why I like Holmes’ response on this:
“ ‘The idea that I as a human should not be free to access my own health information, especially using my own money . . . and rather should be legally prohibited from doing so, summarizes the root of the fundamental flaw we’re working to change in our health care system.’ ” (p. 147)
Making more tests available for those that want them while improving our healthcare system sounds like a good combination to me.
