Test to Treat Frequently Asked Qu​estions

Yes. The Test to Treat initiative does not require that you get tested at a Test to Treat site.

Patients should bring electronic or printed health records less than 12 months old, including the most recent blood work relating to kidney and liver problems. In addition, patients need to bring a list of all medications they are taking, including over the counter medications.

Retail pharmacy-based clinics participating in the Test to Treat initiative use commercial distributers to order the oral antivirals (pills) Lagevrio from Merck and Paxlovid from Pfizer. Distribution through the HHS/ASPR ended in December 2023.

Test to treat locations that are HRSA-funded health centers can order Lagevrio and Paxlovid for free from the HHS/ASPR inventory while supplies last.

Yes. Veklury is a commercially available IV antiviral treatment.

See our COVID-19 Treatment Information for Patients page and talk with a health care provider if you would like to learn more about the different treatment options.

Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patients will continue to receive Paxlovid at no charge through December 31, 2024, either directly at the counter for many with Medicare or Medicaid, or through enrollment in the U.S. Government Patient Assistance Program (PAP) operated by Pfizer. This includes all patients who are publicly insured through Medicare (with or without Part D, Part B, or Part C and inclusive of Medicare Advantage), Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program, TRICARE, and patients insured through the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network. In some cases, people with Medicaid and people with a Part D Medicare Plan may be able to get Paxlovid at no charge directly at the counter without having to enroll in the PAP.

Separately from the PAP, federal entities, including Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported health centers, Indian Health Service (IHS) health centers, Veterans Health Administration facilities, and others, have continued access to free, USG-procured Paxlovid supply for their patients similar to how they have accessed Paxlovid in the past.

Concurrently, Pfizer is operating a Paxlovid Co-Pay Savings Program for eligible privately (commercially) insured patients. This program is accessible through Paxlovid.com for patients and Paxlovid.pfizerpro.com for health care providers.

For Lagevrio:
The Merck PAP (a 501c3 non-profit organization) will provide Lagevrio free of charge to patients who meet its eligibility criteria and who, without assistance, could not otherwise afford the product.

In addition, HHS-procured Lagevrio will continue to be distributed to certain federal entities, including HRSA-supported health centers, IHS health centers, and others, until HHS/ASPR supply is depleted.

To be eligible for oral antivirals, you must:

• Be at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Learn more about what it means to be high-risk.
• Have experienced your first symptoms of COVID-19 within the last 5 days.
• Not be taking drugs that interfere with the possible COVID-19 treatment.

Not everyone who visits a Test to Treat site will receive a prescription for medication. During the Test to Treat visit, patients will meet with a health care provider who will determine if they are eligible for treatment.

Pharmacists need the patient’s electronic or printed health records less than 12 months old, including the most recent reports of laboratory blood work to review for kidney or liver problems. State-licensed pharmacists could also receive this information through a consult with the patient’s health care provider.

In addition, patients should provide a list of all medications they are taking, including over-the-counter medications so the state-licensed pharmacist can screen for drugs with potentially serious interactions with Paxlovid.

Under the limitations outlined in the Emergency Use Authorization, a state-licensed pharmacist should refer patients for clinical evaluation with a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant licensed or authorized under state law to prescribe drugs if any of the following apply:

• Sufficient information is not available to assess renal and hepatic function.
• Sufficient information is not available to assess for a potential drug interaction.
• Modification of other medications is needed due to a potential drug interaction.

Telehealth is a way to connect with a medical provider from a computer without the need to physically go into a provider’s office or site of care. Learn more about the benefits and types of care you can receive using telehealth.

Yes. There are several ways you can use telehealth:

• Locate and contact a health care provider who offers telehealth services.
• Some Test to Treat locations offer telehealth services. When searching for COVID-19 medication in the locator, find the options that note "Telehealth available for site."
• Health centers may also offer telehealth services. Find a health center near you.

For more information, please visit Telehealth and COVID-19.

Yes. In general, you can receive care through telehealth services by providing a positive at-home COVID-19 test.

Yes; if determined appropriate, the telehealth provider can send your prescription for COVID-19 oral medications to your local pharmacy for pick up.

States, territories and other jurisdictions can add their sponsored telehealth programs to the COVID-19 Treatments Locator by using the Tiberius Provider Metadata Management (PMM) tool. States, territories and other jurisdictions can also use this portal to keep their program's information up to date.

To add the location, first log into Tiberius and go to the KPI Dashboard. Then, once in the Key Performance Indicator Dashboard, click on the link for the Provider Metadata Management (PMM) tool (located in the upper right corner of the dashboard). In the PMM tool, go to the "Telehealth" tab. State and territorial users will only see their state or territory in this dropdown menu. Regional users will see the states/territories/jurisdictions within their region. States and territories can add their telehealth provider name, URL, and a phone number. If there is no phone number, leave that data field blank. States and territories can add up to five (5) providers. If a state or territory needs to delete a provider, select it from the provider list and delete.

• Telehealth resources website
• Telehealth resources for health care providers
• Health equity in telehealth
• Office for the Advancement of Telehealth
• Telehealth Resource Centers for technical assistance, webinars, and training
• Health Centers Program
• Health Center Finder

You can find Test to Treat sites using a federal web-based locator.

If you have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support finding a Test to Treat site, you can call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages, from 8 AM to midnight ET, 7 days a week.

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is also available to specifically help people with disabilities access services. Call 1-888-677-1199, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 8 PM ET, or email DIAL@usaginganddisability.org.

Some of the nation's largest pharmacy chains are participating in Test to Treat. The participating locations have health clinics inside their stores, where health care providers can prescribe these COVID-19 treatments to eligible patients who need them. These oral antivirals may only be prescribed by a qualified health care provider.

Hundreds of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), located in many of the nation's hardest-hit and highest-risk communities, also participate in Test to Treat. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) maintains a health center locator to help patients find the nearest FQHC.

State, tribal, and territorial government partners can work directly with the appropriate ASPR Regional Emergency Coordinators in your area to request federal support for new Test to Treat sites. Please reach out to your state’s point of contact for additional guidance on how to become a registered Test to Treat location.

Paxlovid
On July 6, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revised the Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid to authorize state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe the drug to eligible patients, with certain limitations. Learn more about this update. 

Lagevrio
Pharmacists are not authorized to prescribe Lagevrio. Lagevrio may only be prescribed for a patient by physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants who are licensed or authorized under state law to prescribe drugs in the therapeutic class that includes Lagevrio.

Yes, test results from a participating Test to Treat pharmacy can be accepted at another such pharmacy.

Yes. Qualified health care providers can prescribe oral antivirals to their eligible patients who are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19, including via telehealth. Patients can then pick up those prescriptions wherever antivirals are distributed.

Under the EUA for Paxlovid, and consistent with the PREP Act declaration for COVID-19, state-licensed pharmacists may prescribe Paxlovid in any state or territory, regardless of whether the state allows pharmacists to prescribe therapeutics.

Under the Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid, and consistent with the PREP Act declaration for COVID-19, state-licensed pharmacists may prescribe Paxlovid (using telehealth, for example) for a patient in a state other than the state where the pharmacist is licensed or otherwise permitted to practice.

In these instances, the pharmacist must comply with all requirements for prescribing covered countermeasures, such as Paxlovid, to patients by means of telehealth in the state where the pharmacist is permitted to practice.

The EUA for Paxlovid authorizes state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid for an individual patient, subject to the terms and conditions in the Letter of Authorization. Supervision of a licensed physician is not required when the terms and conditions for the emergency use of Paxlovid are met. For additional information, refer to the Letter of Authorization on FDA’s website.

No, the prescribing pharmacist can be covered under an organizational NPI (e.g., pharmacy). Certain health plans can/could implement policies to limit coverage to only those with individual NPIs. Pharmacists are encouraged to visit CMS’s National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) website to learn about NPI acquisition.

Yes, state-licensed pharmacist may prescribe both regular and reduced doses of Paxlovid provided they have adequate information to assess renal function and the patient otherwise meets the eligibility criteria for receiving Paxlovid under the EUA.

For Paxlovid or Lagevrio that was procured by the USG, patients may not be charged for the cost of the drug or fees associated with dispensing. For commercially purchased products, the pharmacist may charge a fee for providing the patient assessment service prior to prescribing the drug to a patient. Pharmacies are encouraged to be transparent about the cost of this assessment, especially if patients do not have medical insurance or the service is not covered by their plan.

Paxlovid is approved to treat people who have a current diagnosis of mild to moderate COVID-19. Learn more from the CDC about taking precautions while traveling.