A Middletown lab has already tested hundreds of people for COVID-19.
Starting last Wednesday, Genesis Diagnostics on Town Center Drive near the Oxford Valley Mall became among the first private clinical labs in the country to begin using a validated and internally-developed COVID-19 test.
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Abraham Miller, vice president of research and development for the lab, said testing requires a prescription from a doctor and costs $99. Genesis Diagnostics is not accepting private insurance to cover the cost of the test, but patients with Medicare and related supplemental coverage will not pay out of pocket, Miller said.
Testing is being done outside the lab’s Middletown office in a drive-thru setting Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Miller explained that trained staff in personal protective equipment will approach patients with a prescription, take a sample via swab, and the lab will process the results.
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The results for the COVID-19 test will be returned to patients within two days through a patient portal, Miller said.
“Anyone with symptoms can call their doctor,” Miller said. “Their doctor can write a note and send it to us.”
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Genesis Diagnostics joined the private COVID-19 testing market along with organizations like Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, St. Mary Medical Center, and Doylestown Hospital. Bucks County has not opened any government-run mass testing sites, but state and federal authorities have supported mass testing locations in the Philadelphia region.
Miller said Genesis Diagnostics will be gearing up to handle even more tests this week and is approaching being able to process 1,000 tests per day.
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