getSTDtested.com Launches Nationally to Offer Medically and Legally Compliant STD Testing Services with Physicians Wellness Network

Consumers expected to order more services online as nearly 80% of Internet users look online for health and medical information. www.getSTDtested.com, the industry's first online confidential clinic to use Web 2.0 technologies that exclusively focuses on the awareness, testing and destigmitization of sexually transmitted diseases, launched nationally today. www.getSTDtested,com has partnered with Physicians Wellness Network (PWN) to ensure its STD testing services comply with state and federal regulations for eight of the most common STDs.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 6, 2009 -- www.getSTDtested.com, the industry's first online confidential clinic to use Web 2.0 technologies that exclusively focuses on the awareness, testing and destigmitization of sexually transmitted diseases, launched nationally today. www.getSTDtested,com has partnered with Physicians Wellness Network (PWN) to ensure its STD testing services comply with state and federal regulations for eight of the most common STDs.

The Pew Internet Project estimates that between 75% to 80% of Internet users have looked online for their health information since December of 2007. Recognizing this trend, the www.getSTDtested.com site utilizes the web as a vehicle to assist in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases and infections. The site, also known as an online clinic, includes industry approved quality standards for awareness, physician-directed testing, a conversational forum, counseling and referral services that are compliant with state and federal laws for critical value results, as well as positive promotion of sexual health.

"The industry has been plodding along," says the CEO and president of the American Social Health Association's (ASHA) Lynn Barclay. "New, innovative methods are critical to help educate young adults about STDs. For them, text messaging, the Internet and video are daily 'must haves.' The old tools just aren't working well for this generation," concludes Barclay.

The majority of states in the U.S. this year have seen a rise in STD rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that women under 25-years old get tested annually for the most commonly occurring STD, Chlamydia, which is responsible for 3 million new cases each year. It is asymptomatic and easily treated if detected.

The online clinic, www.getSTDtested.com, is focused on the tech-fueled millennial generation whose healthcare concerns, more than older generations, are focused on their social and sexual health. The www.getSTDtested.com national launch includes a collegiate tour to generate awareness for STD testing and education. The "Kiss Chlamydia Goodbye" campaign kicks off at Columbia College Chicago on May 6. Hundreds of students are expected to "watch, talk and rock" with a showing of a webisode series called "O" Mission, an expert panel discussion, and a performance of music from the original soundtrack by the band Lip Tease.

"We are addressing an important and escalating issue for Americans, particularly young adults. People are willing to pay for the privacy, convenience and sophistication of online ordering," says CEO of Get STD Tested, Tracey Powell. "We offer the first online STD testing clinic to have a conversational forum and a related webisode series called the 'O Mission.' This type of technology appeals and helps educate the most vulnerable generation to STDs, the millenials who were born after 1980," says Powell.

"With PWN and www.gestSTDtested.com, consumers no longer need to go through the inconvenient and often expensive process of scheduling multiple doctor appointments with several co-pays to get tested for the possibility of a sexually transmitted infection or disease," says John Eastman, director of business development for Physicians Wellness Network. "Our webLAB wizard provides the capability to order up to eight of the most common STD tests. Our network of 250 physicians offers prescribing authority for consumers to take the tests. Test results are delivered securely online within two-to-three days after ordering," says Eastman.

After consumers register at www.getSTDtested.com, they receive a confidential PIN number and can select the desired tests to be executed with a PWN physician's prescriptive authority. The consumer provides a urine or blood sample at a patient service center through one of the world's leading providers of diagnostic testing, information and services labs which can be found by a map locator on the website.

With www.getSTDtested.com, consumers can select up to eight lab tests online. The lab tests are compliant with state and federal regulations. Results are delivered within days to a confidential www.getSTDtested.com account. Professional counselors from PWN and ASHA are available in the event that a critical value is the result.

The industry is taking notice of www.getSTDtested.com. ASHA, an organization that since 1914 has been the nation's voice on sexually transmitted infections, recently awarded www.getSTDtested.com its first seal of approval for the quality of the online confidential clinic.

As part of April STD Awareness Month, an ongoing partnership of MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and others nationwide was announced as helping young people make responsible decisions about their sexual health with the GYT, Get Yourself Tested, campaign. This campaign and the "Kiss Chlamydia Goodbye" campaign respond to the fact that one in two sexually active young people will get an STD by age 25 - and most won't know it.

About Physician's Wellness Network

Physicians Wellness Network is the leading provider of compliance services for online wellness screening tests. Founded in 2001 by a physician and a healthcare executive in partnership with a national clinical reference laboratory, PWN's mission is to connect consumers with their own health information in a regulatory, compliant manner. Through a network of 250 credentialed physicians dedicated to helping consumers access and control their health data, PWN delivers private blood testing for consumers in every state. The network's unique, online system--webLAB™--connects consumers with laboratory testing and accurate results. Call 1.888.362.4321 or visit www.physicianswellnessnetwork.com. Physicians Wellness Network is a subsidiary of DocTalk, Inc.

About Get STD Tested

GetSTDtested.com is setting the gold standard for online STD awareness and testing, helping to destigmatize, prevent, and control the 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases that occur each year in the U.S. The web solution is the first confidential online clinic to receive the American Social Health Association seal of approval. The online clinic gives consumers direct access to STD testing solutions in an economical and modern format that makes it easy for individuals at risk for STDs to access educational information, diagnostic testing, professional referrals, and peer-to-peer assistance. Visit www.getSTDtested.com.

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