Situation Report | September 28, 2020
Last week, HCA participated in a webinar about a rapid antigen test (Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card) for the detection of COVID-19 that will be available to home care and hospice agencies meeting certain criteria.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Abbott will be sending test kits to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) and other associations that represent home care and hospice agencies who will then be distributing the tests to agencies that they have identified as having a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvements) certificate of waiver and are in high COVID-prevalence areas. HHS is funding the cost of the test for use in testing staff, not patients.
The tests are administered via a cotton swab into the nose and results are available in 15 minutes. Abbott has developed an app for both the testing entity and the individual who is tested. Those who are tested can receive the test results on their mobile device. Abbott has also developed an online training toolkit that includes videos, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and more.
The BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card has not been Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared or approved. It has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization for use by authorized laboratories.
HCA will provide more information when it becomes available.