Munich, 29. August 2023 – TeleClinic and DasLab are collaborating to introduce new early detection programmes in Germany. These services will be user-friendly, secure, and conveniently access from home. Their first goal: save lives through increased participation rates in colorectal cancer prevention.

TeleClinic will offer its patients simple digital enrolment in DasLab's early detection program. The programme includes a complete treatment path: from ordering the sampling kit for at-home sample collection, to receiving a comprehensible digital lab report, and the option to discuss the results with a doctor via video consultation.

DasLab's digital platform coordinates all necessary logistics and data transfer between patient, lab, and doctor without unnecessary delays. From enrolment to results and consultation, the process can take as little as four days. The innovative service is scheduled to launch in Q4 2023 with selected health insurance providers. This offering will be available upon request to all collaborating statutory health insurance providers.

Why Start with Colorectal Cancer?

Each year, around 60,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in Germany, making it the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women. When detected early, colorectal cancer is highly treatable, as even benign precursors to the disease can be identified through screening before developing into cancerous cells. Nevertheless, participation in early detection has plummeted significantly, particularly since the pandemic. Germany's screening rates are well below the European average, with a maximum of 20% of eligible individuals currently undergoing screenings (Source: Helios Klinikum Berlin Buch 2022).

These low participation rates in early detection programmes are more understandable when we consider the many barriers to entry patients in Germany currently face. The first challenge is basic awareness; many patients simply don’t know the programs exist, their importance, or their own eligibility. Once aware of the programs, patients must often make a a time-consuming visit to a clinic to request enrolment, then face long waiting times for results, and eventually receive complex lab reports, leaving them with unclear next steps.

TeleClinic and DasLab combined program addresses all of these current challenges by offering an accessible, digital entry point to early detection. How does this work? The entirely digital preventive care path combines an outreach and campaign with low friction enrolment, an easy-to-use iFOBT stool test with a step-by-step guide for at-home use, and a simple display of the laboratory results and TeleClinic's telemedicine services. Through this approach, the partners aim to transform participation in early detection programs, save lives, reduce treatment costs, and alleviate pressure on the healthcare system.

For more information about the colorectal cancer early detection program by TeleClinic

and DasLab, please visit daslab.health/colorectalcancer.

How It Works:

1.     Eligible patients receive information from their health insurance provider or can directly order a sampling kit via TeleClinic.

2.     The kit is conveniently pre-paid, discreetly packaged, and delivered directly to the patient’s homeThe pack contains an illustrated, user-friendly step-by-step guide. The collected sample is then sent directly to an accredited partner laboratory. Patients are kept up-to-date via email on the status of their order, shipping, and arrival of the sample at the lab.

3.     Patients connect to the DasLab Patient Portal to see their results, usually ready within 24 hours of the samples arrival at the lab. The Patient Portal includes an easy-to-understand summary of test results and methodology, the option to download the test results and speak to a Teleclinic doctor via video consultation.

4.     Thanks to TeleClinic's market-leading service levels, video consultations can be arranged almost immediately. This ensures that patients are not left alone with potentially worrying abnormal results, even outside regular hours, receiving prompt advice from experienced physicians.

Benedikt Luber, Managing Director & CMO of TeleClinic:

"At TeleClinic, our mission is to enhance access to medical care using digital solutions. In partnership with DasLab, we are taking it a step further by establishing a digital and easily accessible preventive care offering for early detection services in Germany.

Presently, preventive healthcare for patients in Germany is complex. Hence, we have developed an innovative, comprehensible, and highly user-friendly solution to engage more people in meaningful colorectal cancer early detection.

We take pride in actively shaping the digital transformation of healthcare in collaboration with DasLab and are confident that this partnership will pave the way for further pioneering developments in the field of early detection."

 Dr. Daniel Fallscheer, CEO und Mitgründer of DasLab:

"Currently, the path to preventive care for patients in Germany is complicated. That's why we have reimagined the process and created an innovative, low-threshold, and, above all, user-friendly solution. We are delighted to have TeleClinic as our partner, with whom we will shape the digital transformation of the future healthcare system.”

 
The collaboration between TeleClinic and DasLab not only sets new standards in medical care but also has the potential to drive a paradigm shift in the healthcare industry. Further innovative hybrid early detection programs will follow.

About TeleClinic:

TeleClinic GmbH is Germany's most popular telemedicine platform. Through the TeleClinic platform, patients are telemedically treated by an experienced, Germany-based physician within hours. Medical certificates, prescriptions, and doctor's letters are sent directly to patients' smartphones. Prescriptions can be redeemed nationwide at around 18,000 local pharmacies or online pharmacies.

For more information, please visit www.teleclinic.com

About DasLab:

70 percent of all medical decisions are based on laboratory results, yet the ecosystem of medical diagnostics remains fragmented and inconsistent. DasLab develops a digital laboratory infrastructure and interoperability platform for medical diagnostics. With a vision of a healthier world, DasLab enables seamless data exchange for intelligent, personalized, and sustainable healthcare for all. The DasLab platform supports all types of medical tests and seamlessly connects healthcare providers with laboratories, patients, and insurers via their Diagnostics API.

For Media Inquiries: