Paloma Health Review: Is this at home thyroid test right for you?

Paloma Health is committed to making thyroid management convenient and accessible, taking a holistic approach to patient lifestyle. This makes it a great service for hypothyroid patients or people who are suspicious that they might have hypothyroidism. The full service is only available in 10 states at the moment, while at-home testing is available in 47 states. For people in one of those states, we recommend Paloma Health. And for people in other states, Paloma Health continues to expand its service availability across the country with the goal of helping you soon as well.

Research suggests that over 20 million Americans have hypothyroidism, a chronic disease requiring lifelong monitoring and medication. More than half of them are unaware that they have the condition.

Established in 2019, Paloma Health brings the benefits of remote medicine to hypothyroid patients. Paloma Health is an innovative telemedicine provider focusing entirely on hypothyroidism. The company’s goal is to provide end-to-end care from the comfort of your own home. Their service includes testing, consultation, prescriptions, monitoring, and nutritional guidance, aiming to lighten the burden of the entire hypothyroid journey.

The full Paloma Health service is currently available in 10 states and growing (California, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia), while Paloma's home blood test service is available in 47 states. The company aims to extend its service to all 50 states. Is it right for you? We thoroughly tested Paloma’s services and here will share all of the details so you can decide.

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This review, like all medical-related content on this website, is thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. Additionally, we extensively analyze each health-related service we review. We evaluate the entire customer experience from signing up to the use of the product or service, and then offer unbiased, marketing-jargon-free analysis based on the latest scientific evidence and medical standards.

If you already have lab results from within the last 4 months, you can upload them for review by the doctor during your consultation.

But if you don’t yet have test results, you can order the Paloma Health home testing kit (and remember to get 25% off using our INNERBODY purchase code). This kit comes with everything you need to take a finger-prick blood sample and send it back for testing. You do not need a referral to book a consultation with the specialist doctors at Paloma Health or to order one of their home thyroid test kits.

Once your results are available, you schedule a phone or video consultation with a thyroid specialist doctor matched to you. This aspect sets Paloma apart from some other online blood test providers, which require you to take the results to your physician to move things forward. In the consultation with the Paloma doctor, you will discuss your history, symptoms, test results, and treatment options. The doctor can provide a prescription and will coordinate with your PCP as needed. You then collect and pay for your medication at your local pharmacy.

The same Paloma Health doctor will continue to work with you on follow-up tests, appointments, and medication reviews throughout your treatment.

Paloma Health also offers nutritional consultations and health coaching to help control the dietary and lifestyle aspects of thyroid and autoimmune disease.

Each stage of the process at Paloma Health is charged separately. The services currently offered by Paloma Health are as follows:

• At-home Thyroid Blood Test -- $99**
• Online Thyroid Doctor Visit -- $99 for a 30-minute consultation
• Nutritionist Consultation -- $75 for a 30-minute consultation
• Daily Thyroid Care Supplement -- $30 for one month’s supply
• Educational materials

** Note: The test price can be reduced by 25% if you use INNERBODY purchase code.

The Paloma at-home thyroid test kit makes thyroid testing easy and pain-free. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are often attributed to other ailments, and patients often do not receive the full diagnostic tests needed to check for the disease. Thankfully Paloma improves access to testing so that more people with hypothyroidism can become aware of their condition.

The test is suitable for initial diagnosis and to check your thyroid levels as part of your monitoring plan. This is ideal for people who feel they have symptoms of hypothyroidism, but who are struggling to get the diagnostic tests from their physician.

As well as the baseline markers of TSH and free T4, the Paloma thyroid test panel also includes Anti-TPO antibodies and free T3. This means the test can pick up atypical hypothyroidism cases and the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s. This also makes the test superior to other online thyroid test providers, which are usually based on TSH alone or TSH and free T4, but rarely include these additional components.

At $99 (or $74, using our INNERBODY purchase code), the Paloma test kit comes with everything you need to take a finger-prick blood sample and send it back to Paloma for analysis. The test is very easy to administer, and your results will generally be available within about a week.

Paloma Health’s website states that the test is reviewed by US physicians. This could be easily misconstrued, though; some customers have assumed this means the $99 test includes interpretation or review of the results by a physician. Physicians do confirm the results before they are released, but the interpretation of your test results in the context of your symptoms -- and then deciding on a treatment plan -- is a separate stage in the Paloma process and incurs a separate consultation fee.

The test is currently available in 47 states across the US; due to medical regulations, the test is not available to residents in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Paloma Health teams up with specialist thyroid doctors to provide 30-minute remote consultations through video calls. You have the freedom to connect with your doctor wherever you have an internet connection. The doctor’s visit costs $99.

Your doctor will interpret your blood test results and develop a personalized treatment plan. If you need medication, your doctor will send your prescription directly to your pharmacy, where you can collect and pay for your medication. You will also get written notes from the doctor after your consultation.

The Paloma team understands the importance of continuity of care. If you are happy with the doctor you see, then you will continue to see the same doctor for ongoing checks. How often you need follow-up tests and appointments depends on your individual health situation. In general, Paloma Health recommends a re-test every 6 months for monitoring; but if you have had a dose change or feel your symptoms are returning, then you may need to retest and should speak to your Paloma doctor.

Due to medical license laws, these specialists can only provide consultations and prescriptions to patients in their specific state. The full Paloma Health service currently operates in:

• California
• Texas
• Florida
• Arizona
• Illinois
• Colorado
• Pennsylvania
• Michigan
• Ohio
• Virginia

Paloma Health aims to extend its service across all 50 states.

Diet has a significant influence on hypothyroidism, both through thyroid hormone production and the autoimmune aspect for patients with Hashimoto’s syndrome. Patients rarely receive detailed guidance on the nutritional aspect of hypothyroidism from their physicians.

Through Paloma Health you can schedule a 30-minute nutritionist consultation ($75) via video call, in which you discuss your case in detail with a thyroid registered dietician. Your nutritionist develops a personalized weight management plan and advises you on a thyroid-friendly diet.

This nutritionist also acts as a health coach, encouraging you and keeping you accountable for your lifestyle decisions. This holistic approach helps you build healthy habits and reduce your symptoms.

Paloma produces its own thyroid supplement capsules containing natural plant and mineral ingredients to target hypothyroid symptoms. The supplement has been reviewed and approved by the Paloma doctors for targeting underlying autoimmune disease. They are vegan-friendly and free from gluten, dairy, GMO, and iodine.

Patients who sign up for a repeat subscription are eligible for a discount, reducing the price from $30 to $27. Paloma's supplement is available in bottles of 60 capsules for a month’s supply.

In addition to the paid services provided by Paloma Health, the website contains a science section providing up-to-date and accurate information for readers and patients. Topics covered include common symptoms of hypothyroidism, treatment options, and Hashimoto’s disease. The website’s blog section also addresses issues of day-to-day interest to their readers.

Paloma Health runs an online community called “My Happy Thyroid” to enable connection and support between Paloma patients.

Paloma Health takes your privacy seriously and is transparent about how they handle your information.

As with all healthcare providers, there is a significant amount of personal information exchanged with Paloma Health during the course of your treatment with them. This includes personal identity information, medical information, and financial information related to payment for services. Paloma Health uses SSL technology to encrypt all information you share with them. The company also collects information on your interaction with their website and with any third parties.

The privacy policy is comprehensive and accessible, listing in plain English the types of data collected and also the reasons for collecting and using this information. Paloma Health has to store your personal information for purposes related to medical responsibility and authorized uses, and has to share your data with certain authorized third parties. For example, they share the results of your screening questionnaire with your Paloma doctor, your prescription with your pharmacy, and your payment information with the payment processor to complete the transaction.

Paloma may share non-personal information with external parties such as medical bodies or the government. This is data that cannot identify you as an individual.

Paloma Health partners with Stripe to process financial transactions and recommends that customers check Stripe’s Privacy Policy separately.

The company offers customers access to the information they hold about you, as well as channels to request modification of incorrect information or deletion of information if you wish.

Paloma Health states that in most cases, you can use your HSA/FSA account to pay for the thyroid blood test -- by submitting the purchase for reimbursement through HSA/FSA benefits -- but you should confirm this with your HSA/FSA coordinator. Health insurance companies do not usually cover at-home test kits.

Regarding health insurance coverage for consultations, Paloma Health aims to accept major insurance as an in-network provider for thyroid doctor visits – including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare and others – but at this time they are at best an out-of-network provider for which your insurance may reimburse you to that extent.

You should only have to pay your copay when you collect medication prescribed by the Paloma Health doctor from your preferred pharmacy.

We customize our evaluation criteria depending on the type and nature of the health service or product. For most products and services, we have five areas that we use for our evaluations, including:

Quality: How well does the company deliver its core service(s) to the customer? Is the quality of the product or service high enough that we would recommend it to loved ones without hesitation? Does the company have a high-quality medical review board with oversight? Do the testing companies use the latest and most accurate testing technologies available? How accurate are the tests compared to alternatives?

Value: Are you getting your money’s worth? Are there any hidden costs or charges? Does the provider offer discounts or free services to our readers?

Customer Support: How well does the company provide information about its product or service? How clearly are options presented? How clearly are test results presented? How well does the testing company help you understand results and get treatment if necessary?

Privacy: Are all products sent in discreet packaging? Will your data be stored securely? Could your data ever be shared without your permission?

Speed: How fast will you receive your product or test results, from the moment you click “buy?” Are the waiting times stated by the company accurate and consistent?