Electronic Health Reporter

Heal, a leader
in physician house calls, announced that it will make advanced diagnostic
allergic sensitization tests from Thermo Fisher Scientific available through
its team of more than 110 licensed, vetted and qualified physicians. Heal makes
healthcare more convenient and customized, in this case delivering better
allergy care by offering access to state-of-the-art blood testing in the
patient’s home where Heal physicians can also see firsthand
specific household and environmental allergens.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America estimates
that more than 50 million Americans experience various types of allergies each
year, with allergies being the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the
U.S. Additionally, about one in twelve people have asthma, and the numbers are
increasing every year, many of which also have allergic triggers. See www.allergyinsider.com for more on allergies,
symptoms and diagnosis.

If, during a home visit, a
Heal-network physician suspects an allergy and wishes to help confirm or rule
out that suspicion with diagnostic tests, he or she can draw a blood sample to
be processed in a qualified lab using Thermo Fisher’s ImmunoCAP test. Unlike a
skin prick test, for which the clinician would need to interpret a response
onsite, the results from the Thermo Fisher in vitro diagnostics test can be
reviewed later during follow-up with the patient, which may not require an
actual face-to-face encounter. Heal patients can proactively request that Heal
physicians consider the need for testing of respiratory and food allergies
during a house call.

“As an allergy sufferer myself, I’m
thrilled that Heal doctors are now first to conduct Thermo Fisher’s allergic
sensitization testing in the privacy of the patient’s own home,” said Nick
Desai, chief executive officer and co-founder of Heal. “With Thermo Fisher,
we’re combining state-of-the-art, easy blood testing with the added benefit of
doctor’s purview of the home environment. These elements combined enable
doctors to better determine a more precise diagnosis, allergy causes, and
treatment plan, than ever before.”

Accessible through a smartphone or computer,
Heal provides vetted, qualified medical physicians to patients within two
hours, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since its inception less than three
years ago, Heal has delivered more than 60,000 house calls across the U.S., and
the company estimates this accounts for $41 million in healthcare cost savings.
Through its network of physicians, the company serves patients in California,
within Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, the
Inland Empire and Silicon Valley, as well as in Washington, D.C. and Northern
Virginia. Heal plans to expand to New York, Boston and Seattle by the end of
2018. Patients can visit http://www.heal.com/allergy
to schedule an appointment.

“The ability of Heal
physicians to order tests, obtain samples and later discuss the test results in
the comfort of a patient’s home or work allows them to be as agile as any
medical provider in an office setting,” said Rebecca Rosenberger, MMSc,
PA-C, senior manager, clinical affairs & education, Thermo Fisher
Scientific. “Once results are processed in the lab, test results are easy
to interpret and allow providers to better diagnose and manage patients with
allergic disease.”

ImmunoCAP is the most widely used
specific IgE blood test, and its accuracy has been documented in more than
4,000 peer-reviewed publications. The tests can identify allergic sensitization
to common environmental allergens – seasonal and perennial, indoor and outdoor
– as well as common food allergies including peanuts, eggs and milk. ImmunoCAP
tests can be ordered for patients of any age regardless of skin condition,
current medication, symptom, disease activity or pregnancy status.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher
Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of more
than $20 billion and approximately 70,000 employees globally. Our mission is to
enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help
our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical
challenges, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and
increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo
Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services
– we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing
convenience and comprehensive services. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.