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UPDATED: Drive Thru COVID-19 Test Center opens in The Woodlands
UPDATE 3/31 7:57pm: Montgomery County Public Health made the following statement, “Montgomery County Public Health District, in conjunction with Montgomery County Hospital District, would like to issue a statement regarding a drive-thru testing site in Montgomery County. Earlier today, America’s ER released information regarding a COVID-19 testing site offering testing for $150 cash only with no criteria necessary to test. As healthcare organizations, neither MCPHD or MCHD would ever endorse medical testing on a cash-only basis without criteria involving actual symptoms of COVID-19. We understand the need to for more testing, but this does not adhere to CDC guidelines or any #PublicHealth guideline considering the current scarcity of available tests. If you believe you are experiencing severe symptoms of COVID-19 and need help finding another testing site, please call our Public Health/MCHD hotline number at 936-523-5040.”
UPDATE 3/31 7:32pm: Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has removed the information and post online stating, “America’s ER is now operating a drive-thru test center out of Stone Bridge Church in The Woodlands. They are operating 7 days a week from 0800-1800. They are charging $150 cash only with no criteria for testing. If patients have cash, they will be tested.”
View the original update made on March 31 from the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management:
UPDATE 4/3: America’s ER website as of April 3, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. states “COVID-19 drive thru testing at Stonebridge Church is closed until further notice. Please check back for more updates coming soon.”
On April 2, America’s ER released a Press Release regarding the Drive Thru Testing. Read the full release and statement at https://americaser.com/whats-happening/
One paragraph of the press release addresses the negative feedback stating, “Finally, in response to the substantial negative comments relating to AER’s $150 charge for COVID-19 testing, most notably on various social media outlets, we believe this response was and continues to be driven by the misconception that instead of providing a public service, AER is attempting to capitalize on the community’s fear. Nothing could be further from the truth. While insurance companies have been legally directed to fully cover costs associated with COVID-19 testing in accordance with the CARES Act, it was only confirmed this week that COVID-19 testing will in fact be covered. Rather than waiting on insurance companies to solidify their methods on how to cover testing for their insureds, something that should have been established immediately following the President’s orders, AER felt that in the best interest of public health and to begin the process of accumulating epidemiological data on COVID-19s spread in our community, it was critical to begin widespread testing as quickly as possible despite knowing if and when insurance companies were going to cover the cost of testing. As a result, AER began offering a cash-only option for drive-through testing in Montgomery county with plans to start providing an insurance option once insurance industry’s position was formalized.”
UPDATE 4/1 1:54p.m.: America’s ER shared on their website, “There will be no COVID-19 drive thru testing today (April 1, 2020) at Stonebridge Church. Please check back for more updates coming soon.”
ORIGINAL 3/31:
On March 31 the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management shared that America’s ER opened a drive-thru COVID-19 test center out of Stone Bridge Church located at 1 Stonebridge Church Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77382.
The center is now operating Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and accepting patients with no criteria, no prequalifications needed for testing and charging $150, exact cash only.
America’s ER states on their website that, “Free testing is only available at government-sponsored testing centers. Unlike government testing labs, who receive the test for free, we process our tests at national commercial labs such as Quest and Lab-Corp who charge for this service. America’s ER is not a public entity, a recipient of public funding, a recipient of emergency funding nor are we a party to insurance billing contracts for COVID-19 testing or treatment. As such, we cannot offer a free insurance test. Our $150 charge covers the cost for evaluation and screening, test processing, and some of the supplies, staff and testing fees.”
For more FAQ’s and information on the America’s ER’s drive thru test center visit https://americaser.com/whats-happening/
Source: Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, America’s ER
