Overview
- Product: Lab service hub that takes care of all aspects of ordering/reporting labs.
- User: Any practitioners who request lab work for patients.
- Features: Full service lab ordering/reporting to allow hands-free lab requests for practitioners.
- Cost: Free for practitioners. Wholesale prices plus 7% for patients.
- Privacy: HIPAA compliant.
- Alternatives: SelfDecode Pro offers DNA & lab testing and analysis to help practitioners create custom health reports based on their clients’ health data.
About Rupa Health
Rupa Health is an administrative portal from which health practitioners can order, track, and view the results of lab tests from a list of potential labs. It was founded in 2018 by Tara Viswanathan, Rosa Hamalainen, and Ben Easton, and the product went live in 2020.
Through Rupa Health, practitioners can order general and specialty tests from different companies and have them delivered to patients.
How Rupa Health Labs Work
Rupa Health is a platform that enables health practitioners to request tests for their clients from over 30 labs, covering a range of options including basic bloodwork, specialty testing, and genetic testing.
To start a new order within Rupa Health, healthcare professionals can click on the “Start an Order” button located on their dashboard. Upon selecting the patient, practitioners will be directed to the ordering page.
Here, practitioners have the flexibility to pick from their preferred tests, create custom bundles for each client, or explore Rupa’s test catalog. You can view Rupa’s ordering page below.
When ordering labs through Rupa Health, practitioners can pay for the tests or have patients pay directly. Practitioners do not deal directly with the lab service, as ordering, questions, and other issues should be resolved initially through Rupa.
Kits are shipped directly to patients along with instructions. For tests that require blood draws, Rupa Health refers patients to phlebotomists, which they can access for an additional fee. Practitioners will receive a notification when their patients’ lab results are ready, and they will be available on the Rupa portal.
Rupa Health allows lab tests to be tracked from ordering to receiving results. They also offer direct linking with EHR software programs like Practice Better, but if the practitioner uses an EHR service not connected with Rupa, they will have to manually transfer the results.
Tracking lab orders looks like the following:
Results are provided in the form of PDF files. Once ready, practitioners can download a copy of the results and upload it to their EHR of choice or add it to the patient’s chart. If you use an EHR service integrated with Rupa Health, your patients’ results will be automatically uploaded to their profile.
By default, Rupa Health does not send test results directly to patients, but practitioners can send a copy if they choose to do so.
Below you can see a section of a sample report from Rupa Health’s lab testing catalog.
Apart from their lab testing services, Rupa extends its services to encompass practical tools to help practitioners create health plans for their clients. This includes a personalized meal plan tool that allows you to input your client’s diet type, preferences, restrictions, and calorie & macronutrient goals to create a meal plan, which you can download as a PDF and send to your client.
Healthcare professionals can also choose to generate a Results Summary based on a patient’s test results. Practitioners are required to manually search and input each specific biomarker they wish to include in the report, along with the patient’s results, units, and reference range.
Results Summary reports can be downloaded as a PDF file or sent directly to the patient.
In addition, healthcare professionals can include notes for each biomarker, outline next steps, and provide information on the treatment plan. Rupa offers a variety of treatment options for patients, which fall into the following categories:
- Lab testing
- Medication
- Movement, mindfulness & sleep
- Nutrition
- Supplement
Practitioners can also create custom treatment plan tasks for their patients.
Please note that the information provided in this review might be subject to change or could have changed since the time of writing. To ensure you have the most up-to-date details about their offerings, pricing, and features, we recommend visiting their official website.
Rupa Health Lab Cost
Practitioners can sign up for Rupa Health for free. Rupa Health generates their income from the patients, charging a 7% service fee on top of the lab costs. The lab services that sign up to be an option for patients charge wholesale rates.
Patients may have to pay an additional fee if testing requires phlebotomist services.
Lab Interpretation Services from Rupa Health
Rupa offers practitioners a streamlined solution for lab test orders, and practitioners can request a clinical consult with all lab partners directly from their dashboard at no extra charge.
Rupa also offers comprehensive information about various lab tests and their associated providers, but does not necessarily provide personalized health recommendations based on all of a client’s test results.
Healthcare practitioners will also benefit from access to an array of treatment planning tools, including the meal planner. To make full use of this feature, you can enter your client’s dietary information and preferences, and Rupa will create a 7-day meal plan based on this information.
The results summary feature helps healthcare professionals present a simplified version of lab results to patients, along with supplementary data such as suggested next steps and tasks for their treatment plans.
Please note that the meal plan feature currently operates based on the information provided by the practitioner and does not automatically factor in the patient’s lab results. Similarly, the results summary feature does not generate recommendations based on individual patient results.
Review of Rupa Health Privacy & Data Security
Rupa Health is a HIPAA-compliant company. They do not sell information to third parties, and only share personal information between practitioners and labs as needed to process lab orders.
Pros & Cons Of Rupa Health
Pros
- Allows practitioners to deliver lab test kits directly to patients
- Offers discounted lab costs for patients
- Integration with EHR programs
Cons
- Treatment planning tools may not be as robust as some practitioners desire
- Does not provide personalized health recommendations based on all of a client’s test results
- No client portal
Alternatives to Rupa Health
If you are looking for a more holistic precision health software to analyze your clients’ labs, DNA, and environmental data to create personalized treatment plans, you may want to consider using a complimentary service to Rupa Health.
SelfDecode Pro Connect provides health practitioners and clients alike with data-driven health insights and recommendations based on their genes and labs so that you can reduce trial and error and help your clients reach health goals more quickly.
Example of the SelfDecode Pro Personalized Recommendations Feature
Many lab testing providers also offer direct access to practitioners. If your focus lies on 1-2 specific tests, ordering directly from lab providers may help your clients avoid the 7% service fee from Rupa Health. By following this route, you can tailor your testing approach while managing costs efficiently.
Ultimately, the choice of testing provider is a strategic decision that depends on several conditions, all of which should align with specific needs and preferences as a healthcare professional.
Summary
Rupa Health presents a streamlined approach to lab ordering, offering the convenience of direct kit shipments to customers. Practitioners can browse Rupa’s extensive catalog of tests and make use of other useful tools to formulate tailored treatment plans for their clients, such as the meal planner and results summary report.
However, when it comes to embracing a more data-driven approach to healthcare, it’s important to note that alternative or even potentially complementary solutions to Rupa Health, such as SelfDecode Pro Connect, are available in the market.
Book a demo call to see how SelfDecode Pro Connect can help you grow your practice with precision health technology.
