NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Sufferers in a crunch to get COVID-19 PCR exams shortly are shelling out a whole lot of {dollars} to hurry up outcomes.
However as CBS2’s Lisa Rozner reported Monday, some are studying not even cash could make that occur.
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The door at ClearMD’s Higher West Aspect location warns shoppers the 48-hour PCR take a look at will take 48 hours from the time it reaches the lab, not from the time you get swabbed.
FIND TESTING SITES: Click here for New York City’s testing site locator, together with cellular websites and at-home appointments
Inside, a menu provides the choice to pay $150 to get the outcomes by 8 p.m. the following day, or nearly $400 for a two-hour turnaround.
When West Village resident John Bowen was catching a flight final week to the UK, he paid the $150 and acquired swabbed Sunday morning. However on Monday, earlier than his 10 p.m. flight, he nonetheless had nothing.
“I’m ready there on the check-in place in a panic. I stored calling that quantity. Oh, I texted them, and what I acquired again was a basic textual content,” Bowen mentioned. “By no means acquired a telephone name again. I emailed them.”
COVID VACCINE
Susan Parker of Ardsley up in Westchester County drove in along with her two sons for the 24-hour take a look at. She mentioned she additionally couldn’t come up with anybody when the outcomes weren’t again but. They missed Monday’s flight.
“It took greater than two days. They don’t reply the telephone. They don’t reply to emails. They don’t reply to tweets, Fb message, so I drove again into town to attempt to discover somebody to speak to,” Parker mentioned. “I simply need transparency and honesty. Simply inform me it’s not going to be 24 hours.”
After Rozner spoke with the medical director, he known as each prospects to supply a full refund, which the corporate guarantees for late outcomes, and advised CBS2, “Half my workers is out with COVID. Usually, we get our outcomes out on our time, 98-99% of the time, nevertheless it’s troublesome when you find yourself short-staffed and we now have a rise within the positivity fee.”
He added earlier than the Omicron variant arrived the corporate noticed 1,000 sufferers a day and now that quantity has tripled.
The corporate makes use of a Queens lab, which can be allegedly short-staffed, however he mentioned even the clock on the 24-hour promise solely begins when the specimen reaches the lab.
AVOID THE LINES: Click here for NYC Health+Hospitals testing wait times
The New York attorney general has despatched a number of warnings to corporations about offering correct turnaround instances, together with Sameday Well being.
Evan Willner of the Higher East Aspect paid $25 for a 36-hour take a look at, after experiencing some signs final week, however mentioned he has nonetheless not obtained the outcomes.
“I needed to isolate. My household needed to isolate. We couldn’t actually go to work. We couldn’t see different household as a result of we didn’t know if we have been going to check optimistic. We didn’t know if we have been infectious,” Willner mentioned.
In an announcement, Sameday Well being mentioned, partly, “For the final week, we now have been experiencing extraordinarily excessive volumes of demand for COVID exams and outcomes from our lab companions have been taking longer than anticipated. we instantly started notifying shoppers, instantly in communication on our web site.”
The spokesperson mentioned the corporate is addressing the lawyer basic’s considerations.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
The Better Business Bureau‘s Claire Rosenzweig advises shoppers ask, “Which lab is it going to? Have a look at the phrases and situations. What are they saying about refunds? What are they saying about supply instances?”
The lawyer basic’s workplace mentioned if corporations aren’t delivering on a promise, shoppers can file a complaint or name 800-771-7755.
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The client for Sameday Well being on this story did get his refund on Monday.
