Introducing Luhu®: The Simple, Secure And Affordable Solution To STD-Testing And Results Sharing

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever had a one-night stand and woke up the next morning with a sinking feeling? Felt a connection with someone, started dating and begun having sex without first discussing past sexual activity and history?  A ground-breaking technology is about to revolutionize the way we all think about and act on our love relationships.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131028/NY05049LOGO)

Luhu^® is an affordable and easy-to-use STD testing and results-sharing platform that allows everyone to routinely test for STDs in an efficient and quick manner. Developed by JAM Health LLC, the comprehensive prevention program features innovative STD Results Badges. Luhu works with a leading provider of health-care diagnostic information services to perform users' STD tests and upload their results to its secure platform within 3 business days of a simple blood draw.  Participants can then selectively share their electronic test results with a potential partner via Luhu's secure messaging system.

With 20 million newly diagnosed STD cases in the United States every year[1], STDs are an all too common yet preventable health concern. Still, having that awkward conversation with a potential partner and inquiring about that individual's sexual health has traditionally been difficult and, as a result, avoided.  With new recommendations by major health organizations, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling for nearly everyone over age 15 to test for HIV[2] and for many Americans to test for Hepatitis C[3], there is a need to make this process easy and affordable.

The creators of Luhu^® believe that just as sex is a natural part of romantic relationships, routine STD testing and conversations about sexual health are essential as two people become intimate.  By making regular STD testing affordable, convenient and secure, Luhu^® helps people take responsibility for their sexual health. Luhu^® provides users with a secure, automated, HIPAA compliant and paperless electronic service, from sign up to receiving results. To facilitate the process, Luhu^® users simply go to http://www.myluhu.com, sign up and make an appointment at a testing location to have all of their tests performed through a single blood draw (and/or urine test, in the cases of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea).

While the Luhu^® platform is a testing and results-sharing site, the Luhu website also provides STD information and educational tools. Luhu's chief medical officer, Dr. Mike Rosen, a dual board-certified physician in internal medicine and psychiatry, offers tips and the latest information on the Luhu blog concerning sexual health and the prevention of STDs.

Dr. Rosen says, "While folks can go get a one-time test, and tell someone that they tested negative for, say, HIV, you're trusting what that person is saying is true.  However, you have to ask, when was that test done, and who has that person been with since that test?  You know that when the person sends you a result on the Luhu^® website or application, that result is verified, secured, and has not been falsified.  And, by becoming a member of Luhu^® and interacting with other members who are dedicated to regular testing, you have joined a community of like-minded individuals who are dedicated to sexual health. You're markedly lowering your risk of getting an STD, or giving one to someone else. Of course this doesn't mean you should stop practicing safe sex.  Luhu^® simply makes it safer!"

When it comes to sexual health Luhu^® believes:

• Everyone should be able to easily and affordably take responsibility for protecting their and their partner's sexual health, so Luhu^® is working with a leading provider of health-care diagnostic information services, to make this possible.
• It should be easy to communicate STD status to potential partners.  This is why Luhu's^® website features a secure and convenient results-sharing platform. In addition to providing a conversation starter for people who are anxious about broaching the subject with a new or potential partner, Luhu^® makes it easy for users to communicate their status to potential partners.
• STD results should be secure, confidential and only shared with those users who choose to disclose their status and no one else. After test samples are taken at a patient service center, results are electronically transmitted to Luhu's^® secure platform. The only way users can share their test results is by sending a secure message granting access to a specific person. Access to test results expires 24-hours after they were shared. All testing and results gathering is done under the supervision of Luhu's^® national physician network.
• Testing options and frequency should match an individual's needs and lifestyle. Routine testing gives people the confidence that they are free of the most serious STDs and that they can be treated promptly should they ever contract one, which greatly reduces chances for serious health problems. In addition to the mandatory test panel that Luhu^® participants must take to be active on the platform, users also have the option to be tested for STDs such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. For more information about who is at risk for certain STDs, please visit Dr. Mike's blog on myluhu.com

How does Luhu^® work?

When a person signs up for Luhu^®, they will be prompted to create a profile and select a location to provide a specimen for testing. The initial payment covers use of the service for three months and the first round of priority STD tests (except NY, NJ and RI where subscribers pay the lab directly for the tests only), which includes HIV, Hepatitis C and Syphilis. Users also have the option to be tested for additional STDs. Once the test samples are taken, results are electronically transmitted to Luhu's secure platform. Only the Luhu^® medical professional staff -- who would need to contact you in the case of a positive test result -- has access to your test results. 

Once a Luhu^® user completes their STD tests, a green STD Results Badge and green check mark show up on their private health chart indicating that their tests are up-to-date based on Luhu's^® recommended testing intervals.   

Learn more about Luhu^® and about STD education and testing, visit www.MyLuhu.com

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/std/sam/

[2] http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspshivi.htm

[3] http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf12/hepc/hepcfinalrs.pdf

The shocking numbers:

• 20 million -- new STDs that occur each year.
• $16 billion -- the cost of treating STDs contracted in just one year.
• ½ of all new sexually transmitted infections each year are among youth.

SOURCE Luhu