Simple HealthKit is bringing chronic condition diagnostics to front porches across the country via a new partnership with Amazon.
At-home diagnostic and follow-up care kits from Simple HealthKit are now available for purchase at Amazon.com, the second-largest retailer in the world. Simple HealthKit co-founder and CEO Sheena Menezes, Ph.D., said the new marketplace will help at-home tests reach people at scale. She cited the nearly one-third of Americans that don’t have access to care as a prime example of who will be served.
“Simple HealthKit is really transforming the digital health space by taking you end-to-end in a very seamless way,” Menezes told Fierce Healthcare. “We have DoorDash and Uber, and, for the first time, we get this delivery in healthcare in a bold way.”
Consumers can now buy Simple HealthKit’s at-home tests for diabetes (HbA1c), respiratory wellness and sexual wellness and have it shipped to their door through Amazon. The diagnostic company’s respiratory wellness offering, which covers influenza A, influenza B and RSV, is the only such kit in Amazon’s U.S. stores.
Simple HealthKit offers two tests for sexually transmitted diseases. Its “Common STD Test” screens for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis, while its “Expanded” test includes HIV and syphilis.
The company also offers a fecal immunochemical test to screen for colon cancer and a newly offered kidney health test which evaluates kidney function and kidney damage.
The diagnostic company’s end-to-end healthcare infrastructure keeps patients under the umbrella of support from sample collection to diagnostics, care and treatment. Menezes said that by smoothing out the gaps in traditional care, the most vulnerable Americans are prevented from slipping through the cracks.
Consumer analytics firm Numerator found that eight out of 10 U.S. shoppers bought something from Amazon in the last year. Customers on average came back to the retailer 72 times annually.
“Simple HealthKit’s affordable and accessible at-home diagnostics and programs are designed to help people detect emerging health conditions early, before they become chronic or acute,” Menezes said. “More than 1 in 3 adults are prediabetic, and 80% of those don't know it. An HbA1c test is a critical tool to help prevent the progression to Type 2 diabetes. One in 2 sexually active people will contract an STD/STI by age 25, and many are asymptomatic and unaware. Simple HealthKit’s Sexual Wellness test can help by accelerating diagnosis and treatment.”
For patients that don’t have reliable transport, work hourly jobs, are single parents or manage any other imaginable barrier to having the time and energy to seek treatment, at-home screening “meets people where they are,” Menezes said.
Patients can access the company’s tests at-home, in clinics or at the pharmacy. Simple HealthKit’s own CLIA-certified and CAP accredited labs provide results within 24 hours that can then be treated on the company’s platform.
Through its wraparound system, Simple HealthKit is able to capture valuable data and analytics. These data provide insight into how to tailor the “consumer-centric lens” that Menezes said is a top priority for the company. She mentioned that at-home testing was normalized during the COVID-19 pandemic, but once patients learned they have contracted the deadly disease, many did not know where to turn.
“With some of those tests, you have a result and you’re kind of lost, like, ‘What do I do now?'” Menezes said. “And that’s where the power of digital transformation comes in. It’s the pull through; it’s the whole end-to-end follow-up care. So if you were positive with STDs, you’re getting access to free telehealth and access to the prescription. It’s not just a result and then you’re left there.”
The all-encompassing service allows for insurers to improve outcomes in order to increase performance in metrics such as HEDIS and Medicare Advantage star ratings. Health plans can also design custom testing programs to target patient groups that have historically been failed by the healthcare system. While Simple HealthKit’s platform comes ready-made in English and Spanish, providers can add additional languages as well.
In June 2023, Simple HealthKit inked a deal with Walmart to bring their diabetes, respiratory wellness and sexual wellness labs to the world’s largest retailer. Later in October, the diagnostic company partnered with Imperial Health Plan of California with the goal of helping members identify chronic conditions in the early stages.