MyMedLab.com Announces the Release of Their New Perfect Gift Program as a Unique Holiday Gift Idea For U.S. Consumers

Joplin, MO (PRWeb) November 21, 2006 -- MyMedLab.com continues to demonstrate its commitment to changing routine health care by offering its services as a holiday gift. Their new Perfect Gift Program allows consumers nationwide to purchase potentially life-saving health screenings for family and friends this holiday season. This unique offer provides consumers with a real example of Consumer-Driven health care in action.

The Perfect Gift Program represents a way for the American consumer to sample the future of health care, today. The new program offers a convenient and affordable way for individuals, many who may not have had a checkup for years because of the cost, to privately learn about their health. David Clymer, CEO says, "we see the real potential of entire families going together to one of the 1200 participating collection sites across the country. All without the added cost and inconvenience of a doctor's visit or appointment to learn about routine health issues.

One of the biggest problems in the current system is the fragmented nature of care, even in prevention. For a family of five to have routine health screenings under the old system, it would require five separate doctor's visits and five trips to the lab. Our program was designed to allow entire families to go periodically for testing at their convenience, for a fraction of the normal cost, and keep all their results completely private.

Routine screenings allow individuals to see subtle changes in their health over time and make corrections even before symptoms arise. They encourage a shift in focus from the current "treatment-only" approach to one that is more centered on prevention. This new health information can reduce the need for more extensive care by identifying problems early, when treatment and changes in lifestyle can be the most effective and least costly.

MyMedLab.com's model was designed to help consumers create their own personal and confidential health record, much like they already have for financial and legal matters. All results are completely private and never become part of their permanent medical record, unless they provide them. Knowing your family history and tracking your health over time is how we learn about our health. It's exactly what our doctor does. The good news for consumers is that instead of having thousands of cases to learn about, they only have one, their own.

In health care today, 20% of patients use 80% of the services. These patients, representing one in five Americans, make up what has been called the "Sick Care" portion of the market. This group is already receiving treatment for existing health problems. Although MyMedLab.com could, in most cases, lower their out-of- pocket cost, they don't represent our typical customer. The MyMedLab.com consumer comes from the other 80% of Americans trying desperately to stay healthy and out of that 20%. To make this possible, they must stay informed about their health.

The benefits to our consumers are both better health and lower cost. The same laboratory testing, once only available to doctors, is now available directly to consumers for 50% - 80% less. Our testing is performed by the nation's largest and most respected reference laboratories. These are the same labs used by most physicians and hospitals in the U.S.

Our process also eliminates the added expense and inconvenience of a doctor's visit, just to have routine testing. Every test we provide includes the services of a Family Physician in each state. Their role is to approve the lab request, review the results, and to provide a consultation to our consumers who request one. The fees for this service are included in the cost of our testing"

Clymer explains the new Perfect Gift Program like this: "Common sense says we can't fix a problem we're not aware of and the stakes couldn't be higher than when it comes to your health. We're not a provider re-tooling to work better for the consumer, but one that was designed for them from the ground up. Consumers today are frustrated by the current system's barriers designed to keep them out of the process. We remove these barriers and deliver a new 21st century option for the pro-active consumer. MyMedLab.com understands that the future of quality health care not only includes the patient, but also encourages their participation.

Our Perfect Gift Program is a result of our customers asking for a way to share our service with others. It just makes sense to introduce it for the holidays as a totally unique gift idea. This year, instead of giving that ugly sweater or tie that never gets worn, you can give a convenient and confidential way to learn about your health.
It's the reason we called it The Perfect Gift because of the huge potential benefits for the entire family.

At MyMedLab.com, we have created a process that is easy to purchase and simple for the recipient to redeem. Consumers interested in our new program simply visit us online at www.mymedlab.com and click on The Perfect Gift link. We have used more than a decade's worth of Direct-to-Consumer testing experience to create specific groups of tests called Wellness Profiles.

Our Profiles, based on an individual's age, sex and family history, are designed to evaluate the most common conditions associated with each group. No medical knowledge is required to choose the right profile for each person because we've created the best group of tests for them. The process automatically generates a Gift Certificate, in the receiver's name, complete with simple instructions on how to redeem it.

The recipient follows the simple instructions on the gift certificate to redeem the testing at their convenience. Our entire process requires no doctor's visit or appointment. The consumer decides when to go for collection, with the average visit lasting less than 10 minutes. When testing is complete, most within 24 hours, the consumer receives an email notification or phone call when their results are ready for review. They log into their own Confidential Medical Record on our site, using their username and password, to access results along with an easy to read explanation of each test. A hard copy of each result follows in the mail for their permanent record.

We're very excited about the possibilities of our Perfect Gift Program for both our company and the consumer. It's an example of what great ideas consumers can provide when invited to participate in the process. It's also represents a significant step towards simplifying the delivery of health care. It's a gift that provides potentially life-saving information and, for many, represents the first step to becoming a wiser consumer of health care. We're confident that once consumers experience for themselves what MyMedLab.com can do for them and their families, they'll never go back to paying more and getting less."

###