In the wake of the Theranos scandal , doctors have spoken out against the raft of diagnostics startups competing to deliver the end user more and more data about themselves . Speaking to Mashable , Bob Wachter , Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California said " There are a lot of companies , including Theranos , that have an interest in making you believe that more data will magically make you healthier Theranos then announced that it would restructure its unusual board, which contained a who’s-who of the military industrial complex including former secretaries of state Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz. , it wo n’t , at least not in the short - term " , and indeed may actually harm patients by giving them unnecessary anxiety about their possible disorders ; far from helping patients , too much data may force them into self - diagnosis . Diagnostics companies , in particular Theranos , have gone one step further and urged lawmakers to enact legislation that allows patients to circumvent healthcare professionals in receiving diagnostic tests ; some are now calling for the repeal of laws that allow Theranos to work directly with the consumer , until they produce " extraordinary - or at least very good -evidence " .
In the wake of the Theranos scandal , doctors have spoken out against the raft of diagnostics startups competing to deliver the end user more and more data about themselves . Speaking to Mashable , Bob Wachter , Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California said " There are a lot of companies , including Theranos , that have an interest in making you believe that more data will magically make you healthier , it wo n’t , at least not in the short - term " , and indeed may actually harm patients by giving them unnecessary anxiety about their possible disorders ; far from helping patients , too much data may force them into self - diagnosis . Diagnostics companies , in particular Theranos , have gone one step further and urged lawmakers to enact legislation that allows patients to circumvent healthcare professionals in receiving diagnostic tests ; some are now calling for the repeal of laws that allow Theranos to work directly with the consumer , until they produce " extraordinary - or at least very good -evidence " .