Health-tracking wearables offer insight into what’s going on inside our bodies, and it’s become increasingly common for those details to come at a cost – not just once, at purchase, but as part of a monthly or yearly membership. On Tuesday, Whoop, maker of the screenless Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker, announced that it’s branching beyond that model by offering blood tests with a la carte prices.
For this Advanced Labs initiative, Whoop is working with the US medical lab testing company Quest Diagnostics to test for over 122 biomarkers across heart, metabolic, performance, hormonal health and more.
How Whoop’s blood tests work
For $69 to $299, after you choose your blood work panel, you can schedule a test at a Quest location in the Whoop app, and a doctor will order it for you. You have up to 12 months to schedule your test after the date of purchase, and you may be able to use your HSA or FSA funds, but you should check with your plan provider first to confirm eligibility.
Those fees are separate from Whoop’s membership, which ranges from $199 to $359.
Once your results are in, a doctor will review them and provide you with an action plan, which will also be available in the Whoop app. You’ll also receive personalized AI insights that give “added context to the results and support with building the action plan,” a Whoop representative told CNET via email. No wearable is required for these insights.
Different states, different rules
Currently, Whoop’s Advanced Labs is unavailable in Hawaii, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota.
If you live in New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island, state law requires that you pay an additional fee for each blood panel. According to Whoop, the fee varies by panel and will be collected at your lab appointment once you check in. No information is provided on the exact fee per panel or per state, but your Quest location should be able to provide that information.
A new multicancer early detection test
Announced alongside its Advanced Labs expansion, Whoop has added the Galleri multicancer early detection test to its offerings. Created by the Grail clinical laboratory, Galleri is a $799 test designed to detect cancer signals associated with over 50 cancer types. After your blood is drawn at a Quest location, the test is then performed at Grail’s North Carolina lab.
According to Whoop’s July 30 announcement about its Grail collaboration, Galleri isn’t a diagnosis, hasn’t been FDA-approved, doesn’t detect all cancers and shouldn’t be used as a replacement for the routine cancer screenings recommended by your doctor.
Galleri is specifically recommended for adults who have an elevated cancer risk, such as people age 50 or older. It isn’t recommended for pregnant people, individuals age 21 or younger or those actively being treated for cancer. If you’re unsure if this test is right for you, speak with your doctor.
If a cancer signal is detected, follow-up testing will be required for more information. A doctor will reach out about next steps, and you can also contact a Grail patient advocate.
Will other companies follow suit?
New product offerings in the wearables industry often become trends. When one company starts offering a certain feature to its users, others soon follow.
Ultrahuman, maker of the Ultrahuman Ring Pro, already offers blood testing through its Blood Vision platform, while Oura Ring creator Oura provides lab tests with its Health Panels service. However, both Oura and Ultrahuman currently require membership plans for their lab tests.
Whoop’s move away from its membership model, centered on a wearable, toward a broader health platform with lab testing could signal a shift in the industry. Perhaps it’s no longer enough to provide a health-tracking device that comes with recurring payments. For a company to stand out , it may need to become a one-stop shop with one-time prices for a variety of consumers’ health needs.
See full bio
Read the full article here