COVID-19 testing - December 2021 (1)

December 2021

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE READ

COVID-19 testing Recent changes to COVID testing in the community by the Ministry of Health has created some confusion as we move into the busy Christmas/New Year period. We have updated the relevant information which will hopefully provide some clarity.

1.

COVID-19 Symptomatic Patients If you have patients who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms, please do not send them to a Pathlab facility for swabbing. The Healthpoint website maintains a list of locations where these patients may be referred, https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/ • We continue to have patients arriving at Pathlab for blood tests after being COVID swabbed at a GP Practice. Please advise patients they can only visit a Pathlab collection facility after having received a Negative COVID result unless: o Tauranga – Patients can make an appointment for URGENT tests only at our Cameron Rd portacom via the Call Centre 07 858 0799. o Whakatane – Patients can visit for URGENT tests only between 3pm-4pm daily at Pathlab Phoenix. o Waikato, Rotorua, and Taupo – GP Practices must please collect any blood samples or advise the patient they can present at a Pathlab collection room after having received a Negative COVID result.

•

2.

Non-Funded Testing - International Travel (Air or Sea) / Pre-employment COVID / Private Functions or Events testing • Only asymptomatic COVID testing for international travel, pre-employment, functions, and event, can be collected at ALL Pathlab collection facilities. o COVID testing at our main collection facilities (Cameron Rd Tauranga, Tristram St Hamilton, Haupapa St Rotorua, Tuwharetoa St Taupo) must be booked via the Pathlab webpage www.pathlab.co.nz/covid. The page will give instructions on what is required and allow the patient to make a booking. o Other Pathlab collection facilities can accept walk-ins for this type of testing. o Pathlab Cameron Rd has two facilities open for swabbing for COVID for international travel testing on the statutory days of 27th, 28th December and 3rd, 4th January – these dates can be booked via the portal on the website.

• Non-Funded testing is not available at CTC’s as they do not have the facilities for collecting payment, plus there is often a delay in the sample reaching the laboratory.

• Pathlab takes no responsibility if collection timeframes fall outside their travel timeframes - it is solely the responsibility of the patient to arrange the swab collection date/time appropriate for their travel.

Please circulate this information to all relevant personnel.

Page 2 of 3 3.

Alert Level Boundary Travel testing (Surveillance Testing) for the Non-Vaccinated • Only unvaccinated people planning to travel across the Auckland (soft) border, from 15 December 2021, will be required to have a Negative COVID test result prior to travel.

• The test will be a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and will be available at specific pharmacies free of charge from 14 December 2021 until 31 January 2022, please refer to Healthpoint for locations, https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/ • RAT testing will not be available at Pathlab.

4.

Domestic Air Travel / Interisland Ferry Travel for the Non-Vaccinated • From 14 December 2021 anyone wanting to travel domestically either via air or Interisland ferry will be required to either be fully vaccinated or if non-vaccinated must have a Negative COVID test result prior to travelling.

• The test will be a RAT and will be available at specific pharmacies free of charge from 14 December 2021 until 31 January 2022, please refer to Healthpoint for locations, https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/.

• RAT testing will not be available at Pathlab.

• Those patients that specifically request a PCR test, be it to meet up with family over the festive season, or other private functions, must pay for the test to be completed ($170 if collected at the practice).

5.

COVID Results • We continue to receive a high volume of calls through our call centre related to patients being instructed to “make contact with Pathlab” for their results, be it COVID or general lab tests. This creates a lot of extra unnecessary frustration for patients who then struggle to get through to our already overloaded phone lines. We continue to ask that patients are not redirected to Pathlab for their results.

• All lab requests from health providers are reported back to the ordering provider when results are completed.

• COVID results are reported within 24 - 72 hours of the swab arriving at the laboratory. This may vary during an outbreak and surge in testing.

• Pathlab triages all COVID specimens, with Hospital samples, Healthcare workers, International Travel testing, along with High Index of Suspicion (HIS) specimens being prioritised and reported within appropriate timeframes, based on the information provided on the lab forms.

• We do recommend practices move to Medical Objects as their laboratory reporting platform, if not already having done so, as this is Pathlab’s preferred provider for the reporting of all laboratory results, and significantly aids to achieve faster turnaround times.

6.

Sending request forms via multiple platforms • If you have placed a laboratory order via eOrders (Pathlab Electronic Orders - Eastern and Western BOP, and also Rotorua and Taupo region only) or by email or fax, please do not send the form again via any other means. This creates extra unnecessary workload for both yourself and for our team and is not required. The form will be available at any of our rooms in the Eastern and Western BOP, and also Rotorua and Taupo region should your patient present there.

• The only exception to this is for the few patients that require an appointment – FNA’s/ Bone Marrow etc. These will still need to be emailed if the patient has not been given a form and instructed to contact the lab.

Please circulate this information to all relevant personnel.

Page 3 of 3 7.

•

• • •

8.

COVID requests via eOrders Please note that it would be greatly appreciated if all providers could do their part in helping Pathlab manage the ever-increasing volumes of COVID requests we are seeing daily. We ask that where possible please use either Pathlab eOrders or the Ministry of Health’s ESR eOrdering process which helps streamline the pre-analytical processes within the laboratory to ensure faster turnaround times.

Pathlab eOrdering – you will now note that we have a new heading under the “Covid-19” tab. There are four groups – Symptomatic Testing, Surveillance Testing, Non-Funded testing, and Cov-2 IgG (which is also non-funded) – see below example.

When placing orders for any of these groups, it is imperative to record as much relative clinical information as possible and also to complete the picklists accurately. This will ensure appropriate triaging by our team once the samples arrive at Pathlab.

With International Travel/ Event requests, you must record the time and date of travel to ensure the results will be completed within the timeframe required. Also, if you are collecting both the sample and payment for collection of samples, be sure you have ticked the correct choice from the picklist for invoicing the practice.

Pathlab Covid-19 eOrder Tab

We are most grateful for your continued support. Please ensure all relevant persons are advised.

Murray Robinson Lead of Specialty, Microbiology & Molecular

Keith Walmsley Customer Liaison

Please circulate this information to all relevant personnel.