[awl130]

how can you not understand the convenience factor? do you mean, why would you buy a home pregnancy test at Walgreen when you can just schedule an appointment at a doctor? are you kidding me? because it saves time and money, that's why. how is that a difficult concept to understand. I would certainly choose a quick blood test from Walgreens rather than going through my HMO to schedule a blood test if i suspected something was wrong. if i received a positive result, then that would factor into my decision to see the doctor.

[specialp]

Theranos changes none of that. Unless a test is CLIA waived, it needs a prescription to be done. They are trying to make it easier to take samples by requiring less blood to be drawn but it is silly for those in the field. Most chemistry tests take only several microliters of blood so yes the "nanotainer" would work for that. But most tests need venous blood, so it is irrelevant if you take a tube vs a ml when you have to take a vein draw anyway!