The milestone was achieved across urgent care clinics in Georgia, Ohio, and South Carolina since February 2025.
WellStreet Urgent Care and bioMérieux have reached a milestone, serving 200,000 patients through Biofire Spotfire Respiratory/Sore Throat Panel Mini tests across urgent care clinics in Georgia, Ohio, and South Carolina since February 2025.
The molecular testing platform allows patients to receive diagnoses in approximately 15 minutes for five key pathogens, including human rhinovirus, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV. Previously, patients presenting with respiratory and sore throat symptoms at WellStreet-affiliated clinics would have samples taken during visits and receive diagnoses several days later.
“More and more patients are choosing to visit an urgent care clinic for first-line health care needs,” says Dr Brian Bobb, senior medical officer at WellStreet Urgent Care, in a release. “Our healthcare professionals are focused on providing timely, informed answers for each person who walks through our doors. Biofire Spotfire tests are groundbreaking tools that assist them in doing so.”
WellStreet Urgent Care clinics serve more than 2 million patients annually, with a significant portion presenting with upper respiratory and sore throat symptoms, particularly during cold and flu season. The rapid diagnostic capability supports proper antibiotic prescribing practices, addressing a critical healthcare challenge.
Supporting Antimicrobial Resistance Efforts
The partnership addresses growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance. More than 2.8 million Americans are affected by drug-resistant infections each year, resulting in more than 35,000 deaths. Diagnostics can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use by up to 36%, according to the companies.
“Our partnership with WellStreet Urgent Care is an important part of our expanding offering into point-of-care settings, where timely answers are always needed,” says Jennifer Zinn, executive vice president of clinical operations at bioMérieux, in a release. “We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with WellStreet Urgent Care and appreciate their shared commitment to the proper stewardship of antibiotics.”
The Biofire Spotfire system is US Food and Drug Administration-cleared and CLIA-waived, designed for use in low-complexity settings such as clinics and physician offices. The platform enables early detection of respiratory pathogens from a single patient sample.
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