New Orleans, LA – Beginning Tuesday, April 14, LCMC Health will be utilizing rapid testing procedures to diagnose Covid 19 in patients across its healthcare system.
All the hospitals and clinics will employ the Abbott ID NOW molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which can deliver positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. The Abbott test was deemed safe by the FDA and given fast-track approval as part of its Emergency Use Authorization program. In addition, University Medical Center is using the Cephead molecular test and the version developed by Roche, both providing reliable and high-quality results for clinical decision-making for patients with suspected COVID-19.
“Rapid testing plays a critical role in fighting the Covid 19 pandemic,” said Dr. John Heaton, President, Clinical Systems and Operations, LCMC Health. “Eliminating the delay in getting test results to our patients not only makes their lives easier, it has ripple effects on the delivery of healthcare which is sorely needed. It is important to remind everyone that still, you must show symptoms of Covid 19 before a test is administered.”
LCMC Health’s family of hospitals includes Children’s Hospital New Orleans, New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center, and West Jefferson Medical Center.
LCMC Health Urgent Care clinics are using the Abbott test as well in their Lakeview, Metairie, Marrero, and Covington locations when a patient is showing symptoms for the virus. Additionally, a person who took a Covid 19 test at any LCMC Health facility can now learn the results by calling the LCMC Health nurse hotline at 504-962-6202.
The turnaround time for test results varies by the type of test administered. If a person’s results are positive for the virus, he or she is then given instructions as to how to proceed in recovery.
