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Ep 55: Stigma is a barrier. At-home testing breaks it. HIV + STI Testing.
Show Notes
Healthcare keeps talking about AI, affordability, and outcomes… But most systems are still ignoring the front door that drives care decisions: diagnostics.
Recorded In the Wild at HLTH 2025 in Las Vegas, Bradley Bostic sits down with James York (Chief Commercial Officer + Head of Government Affairs, Molecular Testing Labs) to unpack a hard truth:
If you can't make testing accessible, convenient, and trackable… you can't build reliable care pathways.
In this episode, James breaks down why diagnostics is a flywheel—the top-of-funnel that activates patients—and why "we have Quest/Labcorp, so we're good" is the exact mindset keeping innovation stuck. He also shares how Molecular Testing Labs attacked the hardest access problem first (HIV/STI), what happened when they removed friction from PrEP care, and why lab-based at-home testing matters because it protects the integrity of the data (not just the experience).
You'll also hear a forward-looking take on self-collection, routine testing for chronic disease + wellness, cost transparency, and where AI could take us next—toward forecasting health like we forecast weather.
What you'll learn:
-
Why James calls diagnostics "the flywheel" for activating patients
-
The two stats that should change how leaders budget for labs ("70% of clinical decisions" vs "7% of spend" — as James cites)
-
Why self-collected, lab-processed testing beats "rapid-only" testing when data/reporting matters
-
How at-home testing can reduce stigma and improve public-health surveillance
-
What "patient-as-decision-maker" healthcare could look like in the next 5–10 years
If you care about prevention, care gaps, data integrity, and making healthcare actually work for more people—this one's for you.
Chapters00:00 — Boombostic Health "In the Wild" @ HLTH 2025 (Vegas) 00:45 — Baseball dads, real life, and the cost of ambition 02:05 — "Everyone should have access to diagnostics" (mission) 03:00 — Why the "Diagnostic Zone" is a signal moment 04:30 — The stat gap: labs drive decisions, not spending 05:45 — Why they started with HIV/STI (the hardest use case) 07:30 — Self-collection scale + what it unlocked for access 08:10 — PrEP friction: stigma + testing barriers (and the unlock) 09:45 — The Abbott at-home multiplex test: what's new + why it matters 11:05 — Rapid vs lab: the real issue is data integrity + reporting 12:40 — What's next: routine tests, chronic disease, wellness expansion 16:15 — AI, avatars, and "forecasting health like weather" 18:10 — Bradley's lens: signals, patterns, and getting patients on the right interventions 20:34 — Wrap + why data in will determine everything
#BoombosticHealth #HLTH2025 #Diagnostics #MolecularDiagnostics #LabTesting #PreventiveCare #AtHomeTesting #PublicHealth #CareGaps #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #PrEP #STITesting
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By Bradley BosticShow Notes
Healthcare keeps talking about AI, affordability, and outcomes… But most systems are still ignoring the front door that drives care decisions: diagnostics.
Recorded In the Wild at HLTH 2025 in Las Vegas, Bradley Bostic sits down with James York (Chief Commercial Officer + Head of Government Affairs, Molecular Testing Labs) to unpack a hard truth:
If you can't make testing accessible, convenient, and trackable… you can't build reliable care pathways.
In this episode, James breaks down why diagnostics is a flywheel—the top-of-funnel that activates patients—and why "we have Quest/Labcorp, so we're good" is the exact mindset keeping innovation stuck. He also shares how Molecular Testing Labs attacked the hardest access problem first (HIV/STI), what happened when they removed friction from PrEP care, and why lab-based at-home testing matters because it protects the integrity of the data (not just the experience).
You'll also hear a forward-looking take on self-collection, routine testing for chronic disease + wellness, cost transparency, and where AI could take us next—toward forecasting health like we forecast weather.
What you'll learn:
-
Why James calls diagnostics "the flywheel" for activating patients
-
The two stats that should change how leaders budget for labs ("70% of clinical decisions" vs "7% of spend" — as James cites)
-
Why self-collected, lab-processed testing beats "rapid-only" testing when data/reporting matters
-
How at-home testing can reduce stigma and improve public-health surveillance
-
What "patient-as-decision-maker" healthcare could look like in the next 5–10 years
If you care about prevention, care gaps, data integrity, and making healthcare actually work for more people—this one's for you.
Chapters00:00 — Boombostic Health "In the Wild" @ HLTH 2025 (Vegas) 00:45 — Baseball dads, real life, and the cost of ambition 02:05 — "Everyone should have access to diagnostics" (mission) 03:00 — Why the "Diagnostic Zone" is a signal moment 04:30 — The stat gap: labs drive decisions, not spending 05:45 — Why they started with HIV/STI (the hardest use case) 07:30 — Self-collection scale + what it unlocked for access 08:10 — PrEP friction: stigma + testing barriers (and the unlock) 09:45 — The Abbott at-home multiplex test: what's new + why it matters 11:05 — Rapid vs lab: the real issue is data integrity + reporting 12:40 — What's next: routine tests, chronic disease, wellness expansion 16:15 — AI, avatars, and "forecasting health like weather" 18:10 — Bradley's lens: signals, patterns, and getting patients on the right interventions 20:34 — Wrap + why data in will determine everything
#BoombosticHealth #HLTH2025 #Diagnostics #MolecularDiagnostics #LabTesting #PreventiveCare #AtHomeTesting #PublicHealth #CareGaps #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #PrEP #STITesting