Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing and Information

Yes! You can be referred to one of our regional testing sites by conducting a virtual visit using our virtual visit app, Doctors Care Anywhere. Testing does not occur in our centers. The address for our drive-thru specimen collection testing site will be shared with patients after they receive a testing order from one of our providers. Only patients with a scheduled appointment and official testing order will be admitted at the specimen collection site.

Testing is scheduled for the day following the virtual visit, or for the next available appointment time at the local testing site. Patients will receive a phone call or text message by the end of the day of their virtual visit with appointment time and location.

If you think you have been exposed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and have developed symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing, we encourage you to speak with a Doctors Care provider using the Doctors Care Anywhere virtual urgent care app. To prevent exposure to others, please do not come into a center.

Take the following steps monitor your health and protect those around you:

• Stay home and isolate yourself from friends and family to prevent transmission
• Take over-the-counter medicines at recommended doses to relieve pain and reduce fever
• Stay hydrated
• Keep your hands clean by washing well with soap and water
• Avoid touching your face

Seek immediate medical treatment if you are experiencing emergency warning signs, including trouble breathing and/or persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

Yes. Only patients with a scheduled appointment will be admitted at the collection sites. Appointments are obtained by conducting a virtual visit with one of Doctors Care providers, and a provider issues you a testing order.

If you have been evaluated by a Doctors Care provider through the Doctors Care Anywhere virtual urgent care app and have been identified as someone who may be at risk for the coronavirus (COVID-19), our Doctors Care testing team will contact you to set up an appointment for a specimen collection testing site. You will receive a text message or phone call with your appointment time and testing site location, as well as a link to additional information about what to expect.

Please allow until the end of the day of your virtual visit to be contacted with this information. If you don’t receive instructions by the following morning, please email [email protected] with your information, and someone will reach out to you to help.

If you meet criteria for a testing order, our Doctors Care testing team will contact you with instructions on what to expect at the specimen collection site. There is nothing to prepare before being testing.

Doctors Care currently offers two types of diagnostic tests. We use ID NOW COVID-19 rapid molecular/PCR tests by Abbott Diagnostics at all testing sites, which require a nasal swab and provide same-day results. In certain situations, a PCR nasopharyngeal send-out diagnostic test may be used instead of—or in addition to—the rapid molecular test.  We have partnerships with many labs for send-out tests, depending on the region. Receipt of send-out lab results will depend on current testing volumes across the state at the time of your test.

If you received testing, it is reasonable to think you may be at risk for the coronavirus (COVID-19). While you are waiting for your test results, you must quarantine yourself at home and away from others. Please refer to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/ for information on how to care for yourself at home and minimize exposure risks to family or friends.

To ensure that our patients receive results as quickly as possible, our staff is calling patients with their results as soon as they are available. It will take about 24-48 hours after you receive the phone call with your results for your test results to display in your patient portal – at which time you will be able to print the test documentation.

To register for our patient portal and monitor your testing results, respond to the email link you should have received after your visit. You may also go to https://doctorscare.com/patientportal/ and register for an account, or login to your existing account.

The CDC provides up-to-date guidance on isolation duration based on certain criteria, please refer to the links below for guidelines when considering these questions.

Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/return-to-work.html

Discontinuation of Isolation for Patients with COVID-19 Not in Healthcare Settings
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html

Doctors Care currently has six testing site locations around the state of South Carolina in the following regions: greater Greenville, greater Columbia, Sumter, greater Grand Strand, greater Charleston and Bluffton. We are able to open additional sites in the future, based on demand.

Exact testing site addresses are provided to you once you are scheduled for a test in your area.

Nearly all of our centers remain open at this time. However, in some regions we have temporarily closed select centers to consolidate staffing and supplies at more centrally located centers to best continue providing the care and services that our patients need and deserve.

Visit DoctorsCare.com/locate to find an open location near you.

Doctors Care has been actively preparing for the coronavirus pandemic since February, taking into consideration the affect it will have on our communities and world at-large. Strengthening our protocols and devising rapid-response contingency plans have been at the forefront, in addition to extra precautions taken around stringent disinfection and social distancing protocols.

All Doctors Care staff have been trained on the appropriate care for patients with flu-like symptoms and are wearing the proper personal protective apparel. Each of our locations have been equipped with appropriate tools to follow social-distancing protocols, such as cough-guards at the sign-in/welcome desks, and line-indicators on the floor spaced to fit the distancing guidelines. We also require all patients wear a face-covering at all times while in our centers, to help limit the risk of exposure to other patients or our staff. Additionally, non-essential guests of patients are allowed in our centers at this time – this is to protect your guests, as well as other patients and staff.

We are following CDC and SC DHEC guidelines to limit the spread of the virus including how we isolate patients with symptoms and how we disinfect rooms and surfaces between patients.

Click here for more on how we are protecting our patients and staff.

This blood test identifies the presence of antibodies which indicate a person has had an immune response to COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2). A positive result to this antibody (IgG) test indicates you may have had a previous exposure to COVID-19 and your body has developed antibodies.

All interested persons who have had NO COVID-19 related symptoms for the last 14 days are appropriate candidates for obtaining this test.

To protect center staff, please remember to wear either a face mask or some other form of face covering, like a scarf, when arriving at the center. Please refrain from visiting any of our locations if you have had symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days as you may still be contagious.

All of our locations offer this test as a walk-in service, no appointment needed. However, we recommend that you check our locations page to make sure the location nearest you is open during the hours you want to come, as some of our centers are experiencing abbreviated hours.

Fasting is not required for this test.

This test requires a blood draw from the arm to detect for COVID-19 IgG antibodies. Although it may take up to 14 days after the onset of symptoms for antibodies to develop, 91% of people develop antibodies within 8-13 days. Some people infected with COVID-19 will never exhibit symptoms but will have a detectable antibody response.

No, you will need to visit one of our centers for a blood draw. Visit DoctorsCare.com/locations to find a center near you.

Most results come back from the lab within 3 days of your blood draw. In some cases, due to increased demand, turnaround times may be longer. It may also take up to 3 days for your results to display in your patient portal.

You will receive a phone call from our staff with your results when they return from the lab. You will be able to print a copy of your results from the Doctors Care Patient Portal.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Practice social distancing and wear face coverings to limit your exposure risk.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses).

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

For non-emergency cases, visit www.DoctorsCare.com/Anywhere for virtual care.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a mask whenever you are in a public setting and/or are around others where social distancing isn’t possible.