Ro Acquires Kit to Expand At-Home Diagnostics and Preventative Care Capabilities

NEW YORK, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ro, the healthcare technology company, today announced the acquisition of at-home diagnostics company Kit. The acquisition expands the diagnostics capabilities and lab infrastructure of Ro's vertically-integrated primary care platform and builds on the company's existing strengths, including nationwide telehealth, pharmacy, lab processing, and in-home testing and care services. Kit's at-home, self-administered testing solutions will enable Ro to facilitate patient-centric primary care experiences for an expanded scope of conditions and support chronic and preventive care, virtually and in patients' homes.

Kit, also known as Kit.com, currently offers customizable, physician-ordered diagnostic tests, including finger prick blood assays, blood pressure tests, weight measurement tools, and more—all adjusted to the needs of the patient and shipped directly to their door. The tests are self-administered by the patient, who is guided step by step by video and on-demand support through the Kit app. Patients and providers are notified as soon as results are ready. Kit is vertically integrated and processes the tests at a high-complexity, CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited lab, which it owns and operates in San Francisco, CA.

Zachariah Reitano, co-founder and CEO of Ro, said, "With Kit, we are adding another essential piece to our vertically-integrated primary care platform. Kit has built their own lab and a magical patient experience for the self-collection of important health data—from blood tests to saliva to blood pressure. Combining Kit with Workpath, our existing in-home care API, will enable Ro and other healthcare companies to send either a healthcare professional or test kit to a patient's home with the click of a button. Ultimately, this delivers unrivaled convenience for patients and turns the home into the exam room of the future."

After the integration, Ro-affiliated providers will be able to order Kit diagnostic tests for patients directly through Ro's platform, providing the diagnostic and health data necessary to inform high-quality care for a range of health conditions—from sexual health and fertility to chronic conditions like cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes. Patients will be able to access and discuss their lab results with their provider anytime on Ro's platform. This clinical data, coupled with ongoing patient-provider engagement, will help patients manage their health more effectively, detect health issues earlier, and improve their health outcomes.

Kit will continue to operate autonomously and serve its existing B2B customers, including life insurance companies and other digital health companies.

Over time, Ro will integrate Kit's diagnostic infrastructure with its existing in-home capabilities, including Workpath—an on-demand, in-home care and diagnostic services API that can dispatch a healthcare professional to a patient's home. Kit and Workpath's complementary services will create a comprehensive in-home care and diagnostics API that will seamlessly collect clinical data from patients in convenient and clinically appropriate ways, whether it's a self-administered test kit or an in-home visit by a provider. This combination of services will strengthen Ro's in-home care capabilities for patients on the Ro platform while also expanding its B2B offerings and enabling other companies to build patient-centric, in-home products and services. 

Philip Fung, founder and CEO of Kit, and Erik Salazar, co-founder and COO of Kit, said, "We started Kit to create a seamless and reliable at-home testing experience for patients. While we focused first on scaling with enterprise organizations, our vision has always been to bring affordable routine medical care into as many patients' homes as possible. Joining Ro will accelerate this vision and allow us to create a turn-key diagnostics API for companies, vastly reducing the friction of patient testing and transitioning more healthcare services from responsive to preventative."

About Ro

Ro is the healthcare technology company building a patient-centric healthcare system. Ro's vertically-integrated primary care platform powers a personalized, end-to-end healthcare experience from diagnosis, to delivery of medication, to ongoing care. With a nationwide provider network, in-home care API, and proprietary pharmacy distribution centers, Ro is the only company to seamlessly connect telehealth and in-home care, diagnostics, and pharmacy services nationwide to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare without the need for insurance. Since 2017, Ro has facilitated more than six million digital healthcare visits in nearly every county in the United States, including 98% of primary care deserts. Ro also provides its patient-centric solutions including Workpath, its in-home care API, and Kit, its at-home diagnostic testing service, to other healthcare companies. Visit Ro.co for more information.

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