Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What do I do if I have billing questions?
What tests does IHD offer?
IHD offers both PCR testing to look for the presence of the Covid-19 virus and antibody testing to detect antibodies that indicate either active or past infection to SARS-CoV-2.
How long does it take for test results?
Once specimens are received, results take 24-48 hours.
Are your tests FDA approved?
All Innovative Health Diagnostics tests conform to the FDA and CLIA regulations. For SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing Innovative Heath Diagnostics is authorized by the FDA under the EUA for SARS-CoV-2 testing. Per the FDA’s regulations, laboratories are permitted to begin testing patients after they have submitted their data and have passed their own internal validation criteria for serology, or antibody testing.
What happens to my data?
All health data is stored locally on our internal server, in compliance with HIPAA laws. Aside from our CDC-mandated responsibilities to report SARS-CoV-2 results to your state health department, and to your ordering physician, no other persons, organizations, or entities are allowed access to your data without your strict permission.
Corporate Testing Questions
How does Corporate Testing for Covid-19 work?
After developing the test plan with you for your organization, we coordinate trained collectors to staff pop up testing dates on demand and on location. Employees are registered and staggered for specimen collection. The Innovative Health Diagnostics collector coordinates all logistics and returns samples to laboratory. Testing is performed, and results are sent to employees through a HIPAA compliant portal after 2-3 business days. If required, telemedicine consults are available for patients after results are released.
Why should I test my employees for Covid-19?
CDC research has shown that up to 13% of all COVID-19 infections may be transmitted during the presymptomatic (before symptoms) phase, with this phase lasting anywhere between 2 – 14 days (average of 4-5 days). For any organization where staff work in proximity, an unseen outbreak would have severe consequences.
What recommended protocols are in place for testing employees for Covid-19?
Currently, the US Government and CDC are directing Employers to develop and implement policies and procedures for workforce COVID testing and contact tracing. All employers need to consider how best to decrease the spread of COVID-19 and lower the impact in their workplace. This may include activities in one or more of the following areas: Reduce transmission among employees, maintain healthy business operations, and maintain a healthy work environment. Innovative Health Diagnostics COVID19 testing program allows you to test and not guess when managing employee health and safety.
Who pays for corporate Covid-19 testing?
Currently, insurance does not cover for preventative and regular testing of an employee pool. Innovative Health Diagnostics will work with your organization to leverage a cost-effective and protective strategy that meets the needs of you and your employees.
Nasal Swab Testing
What is the technology behind nasal swab testing?
Nasal swab testing utilizes a technology called Polymerase Chain Reaction (or PCR). In essence, PCR methods look for the presence of viral RNA (similar to DNA). A positive result indicates that viral RNA is present within the patient – thus indicating that they have SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID19). Our PCR tests are airline compliant.
How accurate is Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)?
PCR has accuracies of up to 100% (that is, 100% of all positive cases show up as positive on the test). There are many factors that may reduce accuracy, such as poor collection methods. To mitigate this, our team of specialized collectors are extensively trained to ensure proper collection.
Why is PCR the preferred method?
PCR-based methods are highly sensitive and can detect even trace amounts of DNA/RNA. It is also an extremely common methodology used for other respiratory illnesses such as the seasonal flu, rhinovirus, and adenovirus. Finally, it is a first line testing method for respiratory pandemics and was the gold standard method for previous outbreaks like SARS, MERS, and H1N1.
Are nasal swab tests uncomfortable?
There is mild discomfort associated with nasal swab testing.
How long does it take to get results?
2-3 business days after we receive the specimen
Where are your PCR kits manufactured?
We use US-manufactured PCR testing kits that utilize Pan Degenerate Amplification and Adaptation (PANDAA™) which uniquely enables real-time PCR for target detection in highly variable genomic regions to ensure our testing is of the highest quality and accuracy. PANDAA technology was developed and licensed from Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development. In addition, our PCR tests are ariline compliant.
Antibody Testing
Are your antibody tests the same as the “15-minute rapid tests” that are done in a doctor’s clinic? Why a lab-based antibody test instead of a rapid test?
No. Our method involves a traditional blood draw by a phlebotomist into a vial which is sent to a laboratory for gold standard lab-based ELISA antibody analysis. There is rapidly emerging evidence that the accuracy of the rapid tests has great variance amongst manufacturers, with some as low as 50% accuracy. While the rapid test boosts the advantage of swift results, the risk of false positives and negatives does have serious consequences to consider. With lab testing, we use certified, highly sensitive and powerful machines to detect even small amounts of antibodies that these rapid tests may not pick up. Average accuracy of these machines is around 95%.
What Covid-19 antibodies do you test for?
We test for two main antibodies – IgM, the marker for active or current infection, and IgG, the marker for past infection and possible immunity.
How accurate are your Covid-19 antibody tests?
Our studies and studies around the world have shown that lab-based antibody testing has an accuracy in the 95-99% range.
How long does it take to get results?
Results are delivered 2-3 business days after we receive the specimen.
Where are your Covid-19 antibody kits manufactured?
We use US-manufactured antibody testing kits within our facility to ensure our testing is of the highest quality and accuracy.
