The annual cold and flu season highlights the ongoing need to provide clinicians and patients rapid and accurate diagnoses

ATLANTA and SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WellStreet Urgent Care, an expert in developing and scaling urgent care networks with health system partners, and bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, announce an important milestone: the 200,000th patient diagnosed via the BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® Respiratory/Sore Throat (R/ST) Panel Mini in their urgent clinics since the first instrument placement in February 2025.  

Until earlier this year, patients who presented with respiratory and/or sore throat symptoms at a WellStreet Urgent Care-affiliated clinic might have a sample taken during a visit and receive their diagnosis several days later. The clinician could then prescribe the appropriate therapy, if needed. Molecular testing with BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® Respiratory/Sore Throat (R/ST) Panel Mini allows patients to receive an accurate diagnosis in about 15 minutes across five key pathogens – including human rhinovirus, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV – and leave their appointment with appropriate therapy, if needed.

"More and more patients are choosing to visit an urgent care clinic for first-line health care needs," said Dr. Brian Bobb, Senior Medical Officer, WellStreet Urgent Care. "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. With a large portion of our front-line respiratory testing done with BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® instruments, bioMérieux is a critical partner for us in getting clinicians and patients the answers they need and has led to a tremendous increase in patient satisfaction."

WellStreet Urgent Care Clinics serve more than two million patients each year, including a significant number presenting with upper respiratory and/or sore throat symptoms – especially during cold and flu season. A rapid diagnosis is a key element in the proper prescribing of antibiotics. More than 2.8 million Americans are affected by drug-resistant infections each year, with more than 35,000 deaths. Diagnostics can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use by up to 36%, offering a powerful yet underutilized tool against antimicrobial resistance.

"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," said Jennifer Zinn, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations, bioMérieux. "We're proud to celebrate this milestone with WellStreet Urgent Care and appreciate their shared commitment to the proper stewardship of antibiotics."

ABOUT WELLSTREET URGENT CARE

WellStreet Urgent Care brings clinical and operational expertise in developing and scaling urgent care networks with health system partners. Its more than 150 urgent care centers boast best-in-class patient experience scores and better than average wait times, making them a valuable community resource for convenient, high-quality care. WellStreet is part of the less than 10% of urgent care providers nationwide to receive accreditation from the Urgent Care Association and proactively pursues quality and compliance excellence, rising above the standard for the urgent care industry. With a focus on patient coordination, WellStreet is clinically integrated within health system partner electronic medical records, providing patients and their care teams with a full picture of care for continued support. For more information, visit wellstreet.com.

ABOUT BIOMÉRIEUX

Pioneering Diagnostics

A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics since 1963, bioMérieux is present in 45 countries and serves more than 160 countries with the support of a large network of distributors. In 2024, revenues reached €4 billion, with over 93% of sales outside of France. bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (systems, reagents, software and services) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are mainly used for diagnosing infectious diseases. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. www.biomerieux.com.

BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® is a next-generation, point-of-care molecular diagnostic system developed by bioMérieux. FDA-cleared and CLIA-waived, it delivers rapid, accurate results in low-complexity settings such as clinics and physician offices. The system enables early detection of respiratory pathogens—including human rhinovirus, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV—from a single patient sample in about 15 minutes. By supporting timely, targeted treatment decisions, BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes and advancing the global effort to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In addition to the Respiratory/Sore Throat Panel Mini, the BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® Testing Solution also encompasses BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® Respiratory/Sore Throat (R/ST) Panel – including 15 pathogens, which is FDA cleared, CLIA-waived and CE-marked.

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SOURCE bioMérieux; WellStreet Urgent Care