The Future of Urgent Care: How HealthTrackRx is Revolutionizing Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Asif Siddiq, MD • Feb. 17, 2025

In the dynamic field of urgent care, timely and accurate diagnostics are paramount. Dr. Siddiq, a seasoned family medicine physician at La Verne Medical Group in California, has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of HealthTrackRx’s rapid PCR testing on patient care.

Prior to adopting HealthTrackRx, Dr. Siddiq and his team grappled with significant delays in laboratory results, particularly for conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs). He recalls, “We would send out for a urine culture, and the processing time was anywhere from three to five days before we’d get the results back.” Such delays often led to empirical antibiotic prescriptions, which sometimes proved ineffective against resistant bacteria. This uncertainty not only compromised patient outcomes but also heightened the risk of complications, including potential hospitalizations.

The integration of HealthTrackRx’s PCR testing brought a paradigm shift. With a rapid 24- to 48-hour turnaround, physicians can now make informed decisions swiftly. Dr. Siddiq notes, “It’s really cut down on some of those complications and some of that feedback that we were getting from our patients.” This efficiency ensures that treatments are both timely and targeted, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and enhancing patient satisfaction.

Traditional diagnostic methods often relied-on clinical judgment and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Dr. Siddiq explains, “Medicine for UTIs, we have something called a urine analysis where it gives us a gauge on one to 500 of how much bacterial load there is…but you just don’t know which bacteria it is.” HealthTrackRx’s PCR testing eliminates this guesswork by identifying specific pathogens, allowing for precise treatments. “Anytime we’re able to get results back sooner, and anytime we’re able to test more pathogens and more viruses with a single test, I think that’s a win-win for everyone,” he adds.

The efficacy of HealthTrackRx was personally validated for Dr. Siddiq when his daughter exhibited fever and cold-like symptoms. Utilizing the PCR test, he identified adenovirus as the culprit. He reflects, “It’s adenovirus, and we know it. And most likely we would not have found this if it wasn’t for the HealthTrackRx swab and the turnaround time that it offers.” This experience underscored the test’s value in providing peace of mind through accurate and swift diagnoses.

Implementing rapid PCR testing necessitates educating patients about its benefits. Dr. Siddiq emphasizes the importance of communication, explaining to patients that he “can prescribe (antibiotics) the next day.” This approach reassures patients, allowing them to understand the value of waiting for precise results to avoid unnecessary treatments. He observes, “So having a 24-hour turnaround period gives patients the satisfaction of knowing, yes, I can put up with these symptoms for 24 hours if I know what it is.”

Dr. Siddiq advocates for making rapid, precise testing the standard in urgent care. He believes the tool could be “very instrumental in the future in reducing hospitalizations, improving recovery to back to work, recovery back to school, and decreasing repetitive doctor’s visits.” When asked about reverting to traditional methods, his stance is unequivocal: “No. I would never consider going back to not using HealthTrackRx. In fact, it’s like having an electric car. Once you get an EV, you can’t think about what it was like to have a gasoline car.”