Dive Brief:

• H-E-B will offer a new blood testing service at its pharmacies starting in July in partnership with health technology company Babson Diagnostics in an effort to limit barriers for individuals to receive routine blood testing, according to a Thursday announcement. 
• The service, called BetterWay, tests blood using a “pea-sized” amount collected with a fingerstick and will soon be available at H-E-B stores across the country, according to the health technology company. 
• The tie-up with Babson expands H-E-B’s pharmacy offerings and comes as grocers continue to bolster their health and wellness initiatives. 

Dive Insight:

H-E-B is one of Babson’s first retail partners to commercially launch BetterWay, according to the press release. Peoples Rx and Lake Hills Pharmacy, two independent pharmacies in the Austin, Texas, metro area, will also launch BetterWay. Those three partners will launch BetterWay starting in July. 

Babson’s lab is also located in Austin. 

The implementation of BetterWay aims to help people who skip clinician-ordered routine blood testing and enable pharmacy staff members to offer testing that supports annual wellness exams as well as chronic condition management and screenings, per the announcement. 

BetterWay’s blood testing system includes an FDA-approved collection device and a hand-warming technology to help collect blood samples from the fingertip, according to the press release. Babson’s technology also includes a microsample preparation device and pre-coded microsample tubes that allow pharmacy teams to forgo needing to label and prepare samples. 

Babson is currently in discussions with other retail pharmacies to expand BetterWay nationwide, the announcement noted.  

As H-E-B continues to expand across Texas, it has also been growing its pharmacy capabilities. Last summer, H-E-B added the ability for adult customers to manage pharmacy profiles for multiple minors and pets through its mobile app. In May 2022, the grocer launched a health and wellness platform incorporating medical and pharmacy services, nutrition counseling and product merchandising. 

Grocers and retailers are also turning to blood and lab testing as they continue to bolster health and wellness offerings. In February 2022, Walmart announced expanding its partnership with Quest Diagnostics to let customers initiate requests and purchase healthcare lab testing services through its website. 

Walgreens tried to initiate a similar blood testing technology to Babsons with Theranos. The partnership ended with the pharmacy company paying $44 million to settle claims over Theranos’ fraudulent tests.