Developing sustainable workflows for community pharmacy-based SARS-CoV-2 testing

Background: The coronavirus disease Rapid Antigen Testing Expansion Program (Program) employed a drive-thru model to maximize pharmacy staff and the public's safety. Objectives: To quickly design, implement, and disseminate a pharmacy-based point-of-care testing program during a public health crisis. Practice description: Community pharmacies in Idaho were engaged in the state's public health efforts to boost severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing statewide. Geographic location was a major recruitment factor. Two recruitment periods were held to extend the Program's reach into more remote underserved communities. Practice innovation: Program and pharmacy staff developed workflows and materials in an iterative process. Pharmacies received testing supplies. Program staff created e-Care plans for documentation and reimbursement and designed a Web portal for state reporting of positive rapid antigen test results. Evaluation methods: Testing data (pharmacy location, patient insurance status, test type and results, number of submitted Medicaid claims) were captured in an online form. Results: From September to December 2020, 13 pharmacies opted into a drive-thru, rapid antigen point-of-care testing and nasal swab for offsite testing program. A total of 2425 tests were performed. Approximately 29.4% of point-of-care tests were positive, and 70.6% required backup polymerase chain reaction confirmatory analysis. Patient insurance breakdown was 72.1% private, 8% Medicare, 11.4% Medicaid, and 8.5% uninsured. On average, pharmacies tested patients an average of 2.3 hours/day and 2.6 days/week. As a group, they provided 77.5 hours of testing per week statewide. Program pharmacies accounted for an average of 5.1% of testing across the entire state at the end of December 2020. Conclusion: Independent community-based pharmacies should be considered as partners in public health initiatives. (C) 2022 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study successfully implemented a pharmacy-based point-of-care testing program during a public health crisis by employing rapid antigen testing in community pharmacies. The results provide evidence for the importance of independent community-based pharmacies as partners in public health initiatives.