To: Georgia Academy of Family Physicians Members (Active and Life)
Bako Diagnostics is a laboratory in Alpharetta with the capacity to offer COVID19 testing to clinic staff and patients. COVID19 testing presents an opportunity for Georgia family physicians to deliver much needed testing to their staff, patients and broader community. Family Practice is at the forefront of health in the US and Georgia. This testing program can support getting a family medicine practice up and running again while performing an important healthcare delivery need. The program will be piloted with ten (10) family physician practices with plans to expand to other GAFP practices within the following three (3) weeks.
Potential COVID19 Test Offerings:
– Screen your staff members before allowing them to treat patients and on some recurring basis to constantly assess infection occurrence
– Screen existing patients prior to regular appointment/office visits. Example: Patient screened on Monday; if negative, can be scheduled for regular appointment on Wednesday with appropriate precautions on exposure to others in society.
– Offer existing patients access to COVID testing, allowing family practice physicians to be in the vanguard of caring for their patients
– Market your practice to broader community with pre-set COVID test day / curbside testing, creating an opportunity to build your practice and deliver a much needed community healthcare service
COVID19 testing is available through Bako Diagnostics under FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization. Bako Diagnostics is a leader in clinical, molecular, and anatomic pathology, located in Alpharetta GA. The BakoDx real-time COVID19 PCR test provides results in 24hrs from receipt to the lab.
Program Details:
– Contact Fay Fulton (ffulton@gafp.org) or Angela Flanigan (aflanigan@gafp.org) for inclusion in the pilot.
– Collection supplies will be provided by Bako Diagnostics.
– If within the Bako courier network, a minimum of 10 samples per pickup are required. Logistics will be covered by the lab.
– If outside the Bako courier network, a minimum of 20 samples required for shipping (if less than 20, logistics costs to be handled by healthcare provider).
– Billing can be setup as client bill or patient/insurance bill. Bako’s experience and understanding is that all third party payers cover the test when ordered by a family physician. The price of the test is at the federal rate. For patients without insurance, the price of the test is $100.
– Detailed information on testing is available at bakodx.com/services/covid-19/
Contact your current lab or reach out to Bako Diagnostics to start offering COVID19 testing in your community.
Note that the GAFP is not accepting liability in the event the test does not perform. This is an additional member benefit that we are offering to our members but given the national demand for testing we expect Bako’s capacity to be fully placed in short order so please message promptly with you interest.