Greenville, South Carolina, Nov. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARCpoint Inc. (TSXV: ARC) (the “Company” or “ARCpoint”) a leading US-based franchise system providing drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and direct to consumer (“DTC”) clinical lab testing services, is pleased to report that it has implemented and deployed an Application Programming Interface (“API”) developed by MD Care Group, LLC, (“MD Care Group”) a telehealth company, which provides consumers with cost-effective, virtual access to healthcare through a national network of thousands of board-certified physicians and healthcare providers. The new API will allow ARCpoint customers to connect with MD Care Group’s doctors to discuss results from ARCpoint diagnostic tests or other medical concerns they may have, thus allowing for the creation of virtual primary care and urgent care centers anywhere ARCpoint services can be accessed. The two companies are also discussing the possibility of developing and deploying a second API which would allow doctors within the MD Care Group system to refer patients to ARCpoint testing locations.
“This is a new concept – it really takes direct primary care to a new level for our clients,” said Chris Cole, co-founder of MD Care Group. “As a result of this collaboration, patients can now get their lab test results back and be connected promptly with one of our board-certified physicians. This really simplifies the process and eliminates the wait times and cost of traditional healthcare.”
Under this new collaboration, customers can book a diagnostic test online at ARCpointLabs.com, at any of the 136 franchised locations, or by scanning a QR code on their mobile device at any of the Company’s participating affiliate partner locations. After a test(s) is conducted, the patient will receive a text or email notification of results and if requested, a video conference link for an appointment with an MD Care Group practitioner. Once the lab test results have been discussed, the practitioner can write a prescription if needed and it will be sent instantly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
ARCpoint CEO John Constantine added, “Our relationship with MD Care Group will make it far easier for ARCpoint customers to consume and access healthcare where it is most convenient for them and how they want. It will also dramatically increase the opportunity to expand our network by allowing us to offer access to virtual doctors through new affiliates, even if an ARCpoint franchisee location is not located nearby”.
An Application Programming Interface is a mechanism that enables two distinct software components to communicate with each other using a set of definitions and protocols. In essence, an API can be thought of as a contract of service between two applications. This contract defines how the two applications communicate with each other using requests and responses. Prior to the deployment of the API with MD Care Group, ARCpoint used its own network of virtual doctors to provide prescriptive authority, as required by law, to order the diagnostic tests selected by a customer, and then provide any necessary review of results before they were sent to the patient. Under this system, although ARCpoint provided general text comments about parameters related to test results, customers did not have the option to specifically discuss test results through a video system with an ARCpoint-supplied doctor. With the new MD Care Group relationship, the Company believes customers will be much better served by having virtual access to a network of medical professionals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. MD Care Group provides services to all 50 US states with consultations in English and Spanish as well as 85 other languages on request.
As the Company discussed in its August 10, August 17 and October 17, 2023, news releases, affiliate businesses are health-related businesses that are separate from ARCpoint, such as health or vitamin stores, fitness facilities, chiropractor offices, physician offices, clinical and genetic reference labs, and pharmacies. Given regulatory, licensing, technology and other issues, many of these types of businesses have not been previously able to offer DTC healthcare testing services. Using the MyARCpointLabs platform, affiliates can offer some or all ARCpoint's products and services to their customers to both enhance their own product and service offerings and, in some cases, generate additional revenue, while at the same time meeting applicable regulatory and other compliance obligations. As also discussed in the October 17, 2023, news release on the launch of ARCpoint Employer Access, any business can now become a new type of affiliate by offering ARCpoint wellness and preventative diagnostic testing services to their employees.
About MD Care Group, LLC:
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, MD Care Group, LLC is a pioneer in personalized virtual care. MD Care Group features a national network of dedicated health care providers pared with the advanced technology required to deliver reliable, accurate medical care centered on you and your needs. MD Care Group offers an extensive suite of solutions for some of the most common roadblocks to quality health care, including telemedicine/urgent care, virtual primary care, behavioral health, virtual dermatology, care navigation, and lab screenings and assessments. Learn more at www.mdvirtualcare.com.
About ARCpoint Inc.
ARCpoint is a leading US-based franchise system that leverages technology along with brick-and-mortar locations to give businesses and individual consumers access to convenient, cost-effective healthcare information and solutions with transparent, up-front pricing, so that they can be proactive and preventative with their health and well-being. ARCpoint is based in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. ARCpoint Franchise Group LLC, formed under the laws of the state of South Carolina in February 2005, is the franchisor of ARCpoint Labs and supports over 130 independently owned locations. ARCpoint sells franchises to individuals throughout the United States and provides support in the form of marketing, technology and training to new franchisees. ARCpoint Corporate Labs LLC develops corporate-owned labs committed to providing accurate, cost-effective solutions for customers, businesses and physicians. AFG Services LLC serves as the innovation center of the ARCpoint group of companies as it builds a proprietary technology platform and a physician network to equip all ARCpoint labs with best-in-class tools and solutions to better serve their customers. The platform also digitalizes and streamlines administrative functions such as materials purchasing, compliance, billing and physician services for ARCpoint franchise labs and other clients.
For more information, please contact:
ARCpoint Inc.
Jason Tong, Chief Financial Officer
Phone : (604) 889-7827
E-mail : invest@arcpointlabs.com
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” (collectively referred to hereafter as “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.
All statements that address activities, events or developments that ARCpoint expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about ARCpoint’s future growth, business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies, expected benefits from business activities and the Company’s prospects for new business are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements are preceded by, followed by or include words such as “may”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “believes”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential”, “expects”, “plans”, “intends”, “proposes”, “anticipates”, “targeted”, “continues”, “forecasts”, “designed”, “goal”, or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. Although the management of ARCpoint believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable.
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