Ep 55: Stigma is a barrier. At-home testing breaks it. HIV + STI Testing.

Show Notes Healthcare keeps talking about AI, affordability, and outcomes… But most systems are still ignoring the front door that drives care decisions: diagnostics. Recorded In the Wild at HLTH 2025 in Las Vegas, Bradley Bostic sits down with James York (Chief Commercial Officer + Head of Government Affairs, Molecular Testing Labs) to unpack a hard truth: If you can't make testing accessible, convenient, and trackable… you can't build reliable care pathways. In this episode, James breaks down why diagnostics is a flywheel—the top-of-funnel that activates patients—and why "we have Quest/Labcorp, so we're good" is the exact mindset keeping innovation stuck. He also shares how Molecular Testing Labs attacked the hardest access problem first (HIV/STI), what happened when they removed friction from PrEP care, and why lab-based at-home testing matters because it protects the integrity of the data (not just the experience). You'll also hear a forward-looking take on self-collection, routine testing for chronic disease + wellness, cost transparency, and where AI could take us next—toward forecasting health like we forecast weather. What you'll learn: Why James calls diagnostics "the flywheel" for activating patients The two stats that should change how leaders budget for labs ("70% of clinical decisions" vs "7% of spend" — as James cites) Why self-collected, lab-processed testing beats "rapid-only" testing when data/reporting matters How at-home testing can reduce stigma and improve public-health surveillance What "patient-as-decision-maker" healthcare could look like in the next 5–10 years If you care about prevention, care gaps, data integrity, and making healthcare actually work for more people—this one's for you. Chapters 00:00 — Boombostic Health "In the Wild" @ HLTH 2025 (Vegas) 00:45 — Baseball dads, real life, and the cost of ambition 02:05 — "Everyone should have access to diagnostics" (mission) 03:00 — Why the "Diagnostic Zone" is a signal moment 04:30 — The stat gap: labs drive decisions, not spending 05:45 — Why they started with HIV/STI (the hardest use case) 07:30 — Self-collection scale + what it unlocked for access 08:10 — PrEP friction: stigma + testing barriers (and the unlock) 09:45 — The Abbott at-home multiplex test: what's new + why it matters 11:05 — Rapid vs lab: the real issue is data integrity + reporting 12:40 — What's next: routine tests, chronic disease, wellness expansion 16:15 — AI, avatars, and "forecasting health like weather" 18:10 — Bradley's lens: signals, patterns, and getting patients on the right interventions 20:34 — Wrap + why data in will determine everything #BoombosticHealth #HLTH2025 #Diagnostics #MolecularDiagnostics #LabTesting #PreventiveCare #AtHomeTesting #PublicHealth #CareGaps #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #PrEP #STITesting