BD and Babson Diagnostics launch innovative fingertip blood testing to health care organizations

Becton Dickinson and Company, the leading global medical technology company, and Babson Diagnostics, a science-first health care technology company, announced an expansion of fingertip blood collection and testing technologies for use by U.S. health systems and other large provider networks in settings like urgent cares, doctor offices and other ambulatory care settings.

This innovative blood testing process integrates BD's MiniDraw™ Capillary Blood Collection System with Babson's BetterWay technologies to enable test results from as few as six drops of capillary blood collected from a patient's finger. With this less-invasive alternative to venipuncture blood draws, samples can be collected and prepared by any trained health care worker — including those without prior phlebotomy experience.

With 70 percent of clinical decisions informed by diagnostic results, blood tests are a routine part of care to help clinicians diagnose, monitor and treat patients. This novel capillary solution enables care providers to improve access to blood testing in underserved locations that do not have phlebotomy capabilities, while lowering common barriers to testing such as fear of needles and logistical challenges.

The commercial partnership is an expansion of BD and Babson's collaboration to advance capillary blood testing, which started in 2016 and has since evolved into a strategic partnership. BetterWay blood testing has been available in retail settings since May 2024, expanding access to blood collection to new locations, including local pharmacies. This continued expansion will bring it to patients in ambulatory care sites throughout the United States.