Less than a week ago, the FDA authorized a home-collected saliva test for COVID-19. Now that test is available through telehealth companies Hims & Hers and Vault Health.
Hims & Hers has greatly expanded its telehealth offerings over the past few months to meet the demand for telehealth primary care services. It has also expanded its mental health offerings. In order to qualify for a COVID-19 saliva test, Hims & Hers customers will need to enter their symptoms, travel history, and other relevant information into an intake form. From there, the company connects customers to a licensed provider, who determines whether the test is appropriate, and then overnights test kits to the customer’s address.
Once the saliva sample is shipped to a lab and analyzed, customers can see their results online and get guidelines-based recommendations from the provider within three to five days. Customers who order the test through Hims & Hers can expect to pay $150—$80 for the lab, $20 for the consulting medical provider, and $50 for expedited shipping.
“We’ve been committed since day one to provide convenient and affordable access to healthcare,” Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum said in a statement. “We know that people have questions about COVID-19, including possible symptoms and how to get tested if they are concerned about their health. At Hims & Hers, we want to serve as a resource, offering access to results as quickly as possible and bringing relief and answers to as many Americans as we can.”
Both companies say they know the tests are in short supply, which is why they will limit orders to one test per person.
“We’ve really based the brand, the company around the idea of getting the highest-quality medical care possible, in the most affordable and accessible way,” Dudum said. “Trust and safety, when it comes to the medical infrastructure of our company, has been [front and center] from the beginning.”
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