Albertsons Companies partners with Phosphorus to offer at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits
September 09 2020 - 8:00AM
Albertsons Companies announced today that it has partnered with
Phosphorus to begin offering at-home COVID-19 test kits in select
market areas, with plans to expand the offering throughout
September and October.
The saliva tests typically return results in 72 hours or less
from the time the lab receives the test. Albertsons Cos. piloted
the test kits in the Houston, Austin, and Boise markets and saw
rapid adoption from patients.
"Customers appreciate the convenience and innovation of taking
the test from their own home,” said Dan Salemi, GVP Albertsons Cos.
Pharmacy. “The saliva test is easy to use and comfortable. Patients
are never more than a phone call away from our pharmacy’s guidance
and care. And the at-home model can help ease the burden on a
stressed health care system.”
“Phosphorus is excited to team up with Albertsons Cos. in this
partnership,” said Alex Bisignano, Co-Founder and CEO of
Phosphorus. “Easy, accessible testing is key to containing the
spread of the virus, and Albertsons Cos. is leading the delivery of
that.”
In October, Albertsons Cos. expects to have rolled out the
offering to all the market areas it serves. The test has received
Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA for the detection of
COVID-19.
The process for obtaining a test is simple. From their home,
patients complete a short online questionnaire at scheduletest.com
that is reviewed by a local Albertsons Companies pharmacist. The
patient is then contacted by the pharmacy to schedule a pickup or
delivery. Patients showing symptoms should not pick up their own
test; they must send a representative or choose delivery.
The patient completes the saliva sample collection and sends it
to the lab via the kit’s prepaid next-day shipping envelope. The
results are delivered by email or text, typically within 72 hours
or less from the time the lab receives the test.
Currently, the pharmacy cannot bill insurance directly for the
test; all payment is out of pocket. Patients may be able to submit
their receipt to insurance for reimbursement.
After the patient learns of the results, an Albertsons Companies
pharmacist is available for questions regarding follow-up care.
Phosphorus is a leading genomics firm headquartered in New York
City with a laboratory in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Phosphorus
laboratory is CLIA and CAP certified and licensed for testing in
all 50 states. It has re-oriented its operations to focus on
COVID-19 testing in order to bring its sensitive testing
methodologies and extensive experience in genomics to this public
health crisis.
About Albertsons Companies Albertsons Companies is a
leading food and drug retailer in the United States. The company
operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under
20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons,
Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets,
Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Cos. is
committed to helping people across the country live better lives by
making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In
2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the
company gave $225 million in food and financial support. In 2020,
the Albertsons Cos. made a $53 million commitment to community
hunger relief efforts and a $5 million commitment to organizations
supporting social justice. These efforts have helped millions of
people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research
and treatment, social justice and programs for people with
disabilities and veterans' outreach.
About Phosphorus
Phosphorus's mission is to improve human health by better
understanding and harnessing the power of the human genome. Having
built the most comprehensive, high-quality, and cost-effective
portfolio of genetic tests, Phosphorus is able to increase access
and quality of care in the burgeoning field of genomics. The
company currently provides panel-based, constitutional genetic
testing in the specialty areas of Fertility, Cardiology,
Lipidology, Oncology, Pharmacogenetics, Ophthalmology, Neurology,
and Pediatric/Metabolic disorders. Phosphorus also offers the
PhosphorusONE proactive health screen - the most comprehensive
genomic test for taking a proactive look at your health.
Additionally, Phosphorus provides the Elements™ software platform
to enable any laboratory to easily deploy any of the Phosphorus
genetic tests on-premise as a local solution. For more information,
please visit our website at phosphorus.com.
- Albertsons Companies logo
- Phosphorus
Andrew Whelan
Albertsons Companies
andrew.whelan@albertsons.com
Rich Bamberger
Phospohorus
917-662-8370
media@phosphorus.com
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