The Beat

How Web Golinkin and Babson Diagnostics Are Reinventing Blood Testing - One Finger at a Time

Episode Summary

A fingertip-sized blood sample may soon replace the needle stick millions of patients avoid every year. In this episode, Web Golinkin, President of Babson Diagnostics, shares how Better Way, a fingertip blood collection system, is redefining convenience, accuracy, and accessibility in diagnostic testing. He explains how the company spent nearly a decade validating its technology through 45+ IRB-approved studies, 4,300+ participants, and more than 850,000 tests to ensure clinical equivalence to venous draws. He traces the innovation’s journey from a Siemens skunkworks project to partnerships with BD and a 510(k)-cleared device, culminating in an 80% primary-care test menu from a pea-sized sample. He also highlights how Better Way improves adherence, enhances patient and staff experience, and reduces friction with clear, graphical results. Tune in and discover how fingertip testing can transform preventive care, patient engagement, and healthcare operations.

Episode Notes

About Web Golinkin:

Web Golinkin is a seasoned healthcare executive, entrepreneur, and author with more than 35 years of leadership experience, including six CEO roles and three companies he co-founded. Over the last two decades, he has focused on expanding access to affordable, basic healthcare, establishing himself as a pioneer in both retail-based clinics and urgent care. His insights into the evolution of consumer-focused healthcare have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Today Show, Fox Business, and numerous industry conferences. Web is also the author of Here Be Dragons, published by Forbes Books in 2024. His career spans leadership positions across healthcare delivery, population health management, medical communications, and consumer health media, including his current role as president of Babson Diagnostics and previous leadership at FastMed Urgent Care, Health Dialog, RediClinic, America’s Health Network, and American Medical Communications. A graduate of Harvard University, Web continues to shape the future of healthcare through innovation, accessibility, and patient-centered design.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Better Way can deliver 67 clinically equivalent tests from a fingertip blood sample, covering more than 80% of common primary care needs. This allows patients to avoid the traditional needle-based blood draw.
• Nearly a decade of validation, including thousands of study participants and hundreds of thousands of tests, demonstrates the scientific rigor behind the technology. This long research runway enabled FDA clearance and strong clinical confidence.
• About one-third of patients avoid blood testing due to needle phobia or inconvenience, contributing to major gaps in preventive care. A more straightforward, painless collection method directly addresses this barrier.
• Health systems can increase patient adherence and reduce reliance on phlebotomists by cross-training staff to use the system within 2.5 hours. This unlocks staffing flexibility and operational efficiency.
• Better Way focuses on reducing friction across the entire testing journey, including simplified, graphic-rich patient result reports. This empowers patients to understand their health without having to decipher complex medical language.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Web Golinkin on LinkedIn.
• Follow Babson Diagnostics on LinkedIn  and visit their website.