WELL Health's Circle Medical to Offer Labcorp's At Home COVID-19 Self-Collection Test and Announces Clinical Expansion to Austin and San Diego Markets
- At home based COVID-19 self-collection kits can now be ordered by a primary care provider via Circle Medical's telemedicine app. There is no out-of-pocket cost for in-network Circle Medical patients and the self-collection kits are now available in select states in the U.S., with more states to follow.
- Circle Medical will be opening its third wholly owned clinic in Austin, Texas in Q2-2021.
- Circle Medical has also partnered with Kind Health Group of San Diego, California to be the first independent clinical practice to join the Circle Medical network and benefit from its digital tools and enablement.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 10, 2021 /CNW/ - WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL) ("WELL" or the "Company"), a company focused on consolidating and modernizing clinical and digital assets within the healthcare sector, today announced that Circle Medical Technologies Inc. ("Circle Medical"), a company that is majority-owned by WELL Health and digital-first primary care practice, will be offering a convenient at home COVID-19 self-collection test kit in partnership with Labcorp (NYSE: LH). Together with Circle Medical's primary care telemedicine service, Circle Medical's patients will now have access to an end-to-end COVID-19 testing solution that is covered by most insurance plans. This home based COVID-19 self-collection kit is now available to patients in California, New York, Texas, Washington, Florida and Washington, D.C., and will become available in additional states in the coming weeks.
"Easy access to COVID-19 testing remains key to controlling the pandemic," said Dr. Tom Ronay, medical director of Circle Medical. "We are pleased to be offering Labcorp's home COVID-19 self-collection kit to our Circle Medical patients, bringing high-quality testing directly to our patients' homes, where they can test safely and comfortably."
How to order an At Home COVID-19 Self-Collection Kit
Patients are assessed via Circle Medical's telemedicine app by a primary care provider who determines whether a COVID-19 test is recommended. The primary care provider then orders a Labcorp self-collection kit, which is sent to the patient's home — along with a prepaid return label and box — via FedEx overnight. Once a sample is collected, the patient drops the box off at any FedEx location or schedules a free pickup. Test results are typically available one to two days after the sample has been picked up and can be accessed electronically in the Circle Medical and Labcorp Patient mobile apps.
With most insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Humana, Medicare and UnitedHealthcare, patients pay only their regular copay for each virtual visit. There are no membership or other fees, and many insurance companies are currently waiving copays for telemedicine. Patients interested in using telemedicine to order the Labcorp self-collection kit should check with their insurance provider for more detail about costs and potential co-pays.
Labcorp's COVID-19 PCR test has not been FDA cleared or approved and has been authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization only for the detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, not for any other viruses or pathogens. The test is only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of in vitro diagnostic tests for detection and/or diagnosis of COVID-19 under Section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.
Expansion to Austin, TX and San Diego, CA
Also, today Circle Medical is pleased to announce an expansion to its network of physical primary care locations to include Austin, TX and San Diego, CA. Circle Medical's Austin clinic will be a wholly-owned clinic that is expected to begin operations in Q2-2021. The city of Austin is a rapidly growing market where Circle Medical has already witnessed significant traction with its telemedicine services. These telemedicine patients have had a positive experience with Circle Medical and expressed their preference to stay with Circle Medical for in-person visits as well.
In San Diego, patients can now use the Circle Medical app to book appointments at Kind Health Group ("Kind Health"), a provider of primary care, injectables, skin care and health coaching services. As part of a new pilot partner program, Circle Medical is allowing vetted primary care practices access to its technology platform to deliver a high-quality experience while streamlining their administrative overhead. This partner program allows Circle Medical to cost effectively expand its footprint to additional physical locations without having to open and operate its own brick and mortar clinics.
"The Circle Medical platform makes it easy for patients to book appointments and track their medical records," said Dr. Georgine Nanos, founder of Kind Health Group. "The platform also handles documentation, billing and other administrative tasks, freeing my clinical team so they can continue to provide a high level of care."
WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"
Hamed Shahbazi
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director
About WELL Health Technologies Corp.
WELL is an omni-channel digital health company whose overarching objective is to empower doctors to provide the best and most advanced care possible while leveraging the latest trends in digital health. As such, WELL owns and operates 27 primary healthcare clinics, is Canada's third largest digital Electronic Medical Records (EMR) supplier serving approximately 2,200 healthcare clinics, operates a high-quality telehealth service in Canada and the United States and is a provider of digital health, billing and cybersecurity related technology solutions. WELL is an acquisitive company that follows a disciplined and accretive capital allocation strategy. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL". To access the Company's telehealth service, visit: tiahealth.com, and for corporate information, visit: www.well.company.
About Circle Medical Technologies Inc.
Circle Medical is a rapidly growing digital-first primary care practice that builds technology to make quality, delightful primary care accessible at scale. Circle Medical is affiliated with UCSF and provides care in brick-and-mortar locations in San Francisco, San Diego and soon to be in Austin, Texas, in addition to operating a nationwide telemedicine service. The practice is in network with all PPO and most HMO insurance plans without charging membership or additional fees. Circle Medical is majority-owned by WELL Health Technologies Corp. (TSX: WELL). New patients can book online at circlemedical.com.
About Labcorp
Labcorp is a leading global life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. Through Labcorp's unparalleled diagnostics and drug development capabilities, it provides insights and accelerates innovations to improve health and improve lives. With more than 70,000 employees, Labcorp serves clients in more than 100 countries. Labcorp (NYSE: LH) reported revenue of $14 billion in FY2020. Learn more about Labcorp at www.Labcorp.com .
Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release related to the Company are forward-looking statements and are prospective in nature including the statements that: self-collection kits will be available in a growing number of U.S. states; and Circle Medical will open its Austin location in Q2-2021. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may", "should", "could", "would", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "working on" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and WELL's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: business disruption risks relating to COVID-19; regulatory risks, including those related to healthcare, the FDA, privacy and data security; and operational risks of Circle Medical as a majority-owned subsidiary of WELL. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE WELL Health Technologies Corp.
George Favvas, CEO, Circle Medical Technologies, [email protected], 415-505-2188; Pardeep S. Sangha, VP Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations; WELL Health Technologies Corp., [email protected]. 604-572-6392
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