Key points from article :
Medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and Babson Diagnostics are expanding the use of their finger-prick blood testing technology into urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, and ambulatory care settings across the US. After years of development, the companies aim to make routine blood testing simpler and more accessible, especially in places where trained phlebotomists are in short supply.
At the centre of the partnership is the MiniDraw Capillary Blood Collection System, which received FDA clearance last year. The system collects just a few drops of blood from a fingerstick, rather than a traditional vein draw, and can be used for some of the most common tests, including lipid panels, hemoglobin, and hematocrit measurements. While the handheld device must be operated by a healthcare professional, it does not require specialised phlebotomy training.
Babson’s BetterWay sample preparation system was originally designed for retail settings such as pharmacies and grocery stores, with samples sent to the company’s laboratory in Austin, Texas, for analysis. The new expansion brings the technology into larger healthcare networks, offering a faster and less invasive alternative for patients in urgent care and primary care environments.
BD says the move could help address delays in care caused by workforce shortages. “In areas of the U.S. where there are gaps in services or shortages of trained phlebotomy professionals, patients may experience delays in blood draws,” said Bridget Bagnato, BD’s worldwide president of specimen management. The collaboration between BD and Babson began in 2016 and has since evolved into a strategic partnership, with BD making a further undisclosed investment in Babson to support commercial rollout. No academic journal publication or lead research author is cited in the article.
