Rapid Testing

Reading between the lines -- and not very far between them -- it appears the whole Theranos corporation thing was never anything but a scam, although as with most cons it is likely that CEO Elizabeth Holmes on some level believed her own bullshit.

For those who don't know, this was a silicon valley start up that promised to do a whole suite of medical tests from a drop or two of blood. No more getting the needle and giving up vials. The company attracted billions in venture capital and Holmes was briefly recognized as the world's wealthiest female entrepreneur. Turns out, the technology doesn't work and the billions have melted away like the snows of March.

What you may not know is that this probably didn't seem preposterous to investors because in fact you can get some reliable test results from a fingerstick, in just a few minutes. Many large practice now have on-site rapid testing for blood lipids -- i.e. cholesterol -- and what is called the HbA1c,* which is an indicator of what your blood sugar has been over the past few weeks and is the standard for monitoring diabetes control.

When practices have these things, it makes diabetes care better, easier and cheaper. You come in for your visit, the medical assistant pricks your finger and gets a drop of blood for the HbA1c and a small pipette for the lipid test. Then she (yeah, usually it's she, that's the real world) goes down the hall, sticks them in a machine, and in a few minutes has the numbers to give your doc before the visit. The alternative is for the doctor to give you a test order and for you to make a second visit to a lab, in which case the doctor won't have your test until after the visit when obviously it's much less useful. Plus which you might not bother to get the test at all.

Unfortunately, other than simple blood glucose that's all we've got right now. Other tests require more blood and can't all be run by one machine either. It is probably impossible even in principle. But what the Theranos story tells us is that with sufficient audacity and a convincing act, even smart rich people can be conned. Viz. Bernie Madoff and Ken Lay, among too many others to name.

* Stands for hemoglobin A1c, and the way it works is that the glucose in your blood gets attached to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells. The more glucose, the more of it is attached. This is also called "glycolated hemoglobin."