Testing Moves Out Of The Central Laboratory
Point-of-care and near-patient testing grows at 10.2% while the market grows at 6.0%, driven by clinicians who want a result during the consultation rather than two days afterwards. Pharmacy testing, urgent care, and physician office laboratories have all expanded their menus considerably beyond glucose and pregnancy testing into cardiac markers, inflammation, and infectious disease panels. Regulatory waivers that allow testing outside accredited laboratories are the practical gatekeeper. Reimbursement remains the constraint, since payers frequently pay less for a decentralised test than the identical central laboratory equivalent. Volume is real; payment parity is not yet.
Market Impact: Placements lock 8 to 10 years








