Spotsylvania urgent-care facility offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing

Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA)

Apr. 2--While hospitals nationwide struggle to keep up with the demand for COVID-19 testing, one urgent care facility is offering drive-thru testing on a first-come, first-served basis.

BetterMed Urgent Care started the testing in Spotsylvania County on Tuesday and quickly booked almost every appointment, said Dr. Mark Rausch, co-founder of the company.

"There's a significant need in the community for something like this," he said.

The company operates two urgentcare facilities in the Fredericksburg area, and the one near Five Mile Fork, at 4901 Plank Road, has been designated for COVID-19 tests and exams only. Patients must make an appointment online at Bettermedcare.com, but repeated checks of the site Wednesday revealed no open slots.

BetterMed expects to test up to 350 people a day, seven days a week, at five urgentcare facilities from the Fredericksburg area to Richmond, Rausch said.

Staff members screen those with appointments over the phone, asking questions about the person's health, symptoms and recent travel. Then one staff person goes to the patient's vehicle, checks temperature, heart rate and other vital signs, and administers the nasal swab.

That individual wears two sets of gloves, a surgical mask and an N95 respirator mask and a full gown with tie-backs, Rausch said. Results are available within 24 to 48 hours from one of two in-state certified labs, and by law, positive findings must be reported to the local health districts.

Across the state and nation, accessing test kits has been "a critical issue," said Dr. Donald Stern, acting director of the Rappahannock Area Health District. "Labs are slammed."

Tests run through the state lab have to meet a highly specific criteria, and facilities being used by hospitals and physicians sometimes can take up to 10 days to provide results.

As more private labs step up to offer test results, they, too, seem to be taking the first-come, first-served approach.

"I guess Dr. Rausch got his foot in the door real quick," Stern said.

The two have talked about BetterMed testing people considered higher risk by the local health department--but not high enough risk to warrant a test at a local hospital. Rausch said he wants to work with local public health officials to offer tests for people such as first responders, workers at assisted living facilities and even those who have come in close contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

But as of now, whoever clicks first on the "Reserve My Spot" button on BetterMed's website gets the test. Federal officials have said the testing will be covered by insurance, but Rausch said his company hadn't received that confirmation.

For the time being, patients will have to make a co-pay, which usually averages between $25 and $40, and pay the lab fee, Rausch said. If those expenses are reimbursed by insurance, he said patients, too, would get their money back.

For those without insurance, the cost would be about $200, which includes about $150 for the evaluation and $51 for the lab fee.

Mary Washington Healthcare also is developing a drive-thru test center for associates within its medical group, starting with about 10 tests a day. It already has an internal process for those who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

"We still have very limited testing kits available," said Lisa Henry, Mary Washington Healthcare marketing director, adding it's not a community-wide offering for those she calls the "worried well."

She said results can take up to 10 days, and Mary Washington hopes to extend the service to the "many health care providers in our community that do not have access to testing or adequate personal protective gear."

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