I am a mere supplicant at the feet of the true experts in the field of screening.

Linked here is the single most coherent article on the subject I’ve ever seen, just came out today. Basically, it says: “Screen according to guidelines.” That simple sentence is the source of a great battle pitting Quizzify and the Welligentsia against the Wellness Ignorati and most of the screening industry (excluding It Starts with Me, Limeade, and US Preventive Medicine, all of which offer screening programs more or less aligned with guidelines), whose livelihood depends on employers not screening employees according to guidelines, and finding some of the wackiest tests in the world to foist onto unsuspecting employees.

Highlights of the article:

1. Many people are overscreened and massive numbers of people get tests they don’t need
2. Many people are underscreened
3. Do not purchase B-to-C screenings like Star Wellness, the subject of a recent profile here, offers.

Specifically as to the third point, they called out AngioScreen as an example of companies trying to circumvent doctors by offering inappropriate screenings. AngioScreen is unique in that right on their website they acknowledge that their entire business model is built on an a screen the US Preventive Services Task Force calls inappropriate.

They also list an outfit called Matrix Medical Network as an example of a company offering inappropriate screens. Matrix Medical Network…hmmm…where have I heard that name before…oh, that’s right! I founded Matrix Medical Network. (Actually, co-founded and was an original board member and investor. And, yes, unlike wellness vendors, irony is not lost on me. See “Ironically, the wellness industry does not understand irony.“)

One way or the other, this article is worth a read because it truly draws a thoughtful line between appropriate and inappropriate screenings.