County of Orange Announces COVID-19 Testing Program for Orange County Residents in Partnership with Ambry Genetics, a Konica Minolta Company

November 19, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ambry Genetics
1 Enterprise
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Ambry’s CARE for COVID Program™ will help OC residents to make informed decisions about testing, frequency of wellness checks, and health management

In a press conference held on November 17, 2020, Vice Chairman Andrew Do of the Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS), who represents the First District, was joined by Supervisor Doug Chaffee, Fourth District, as well as officials from the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) to announce the phase 1 launch of COVID-19 at-home saliva testing. To help curb the spread of this virus in cities hit hardest — Anaheim and Santa Ana — residents who pick up a kit at a local community clinic or register to have one shipped direct will have access to the CARE for COVID Program developed by Ambry Genetics, a leading clinical testing lab headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA.

The CARE for COVID Program was developed with the latest guidance from federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is an end-to-end screening, testing, and result-management solution. It includes:

• Ambry’s AVA™ virtual assistant supporting an online health questionnaire
• Online determination of essential worker status or medical necessity criteria (symptoms/exposure, etc.) that enables insurance billing or uninsured third-party billing for the test, ensuring there is no cost for the resident
• A HIPAA compliant software that enables users to register their test kit
• Medical provider ordered-testing and supervision (including return and review of results)
• Viral testing by Ambry’s RT-PCR test using saliva collection for a simpler and more convenient experience than nasopharyngeal swabs commonly used by other labs
• Most results reported directly through the CARE platform within 24 hours of receipt of the sample by the lab
• If an online order is placed to have a kit shipped to a residence by 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time Monday through Friday, the kit will arrive the following morning. For orders placed after 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, or any time on Saturday or Sunday, the kit will arrive the following Tuesday morning
•  The Ambry Genetics lab receives kits every Monday through Saturday, runs testing, and reports out test results 7 days a week

The convenience of online test ordering and reporting, telehealth support, and at-home sample collection are anticipated to provide greater support to vulnerable communities within the county. Community clinics and centers located in or near those cities will be among the first to receive the test kits, with phase 2 of the planned rollout to follow after review and direction from the BOS Testing Ad Hoc Committee in the coming months. For more information, please visit ochealthinfo.com/covidtest.