There is no timetable on when pharmacists throughout the North Shore, and all of Long Island, will begin diagnostic testing for the coronavirus, according to Tom D’Angelo, president-elect of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York.
North Shore pharmacists were reluctant to comment on the status of diagnostic testing and how long it would be until they would be ready to conduct tests safely. More than 10 local pharmacies throughout the North Shore declined to comment on the matter.
One representative from Manhasset Park Drug, located on Plandome Road, said the pharmacy has not received any guidelines nor information from the state and the status of when testing will commence is not clear.
Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order to grant 5,000 independent pharmacists statewide permission to conduct diagnostic testing for the coronavirus.
Cuomo said the need for expanded testing coincides with how quickly the state’s economy can reopen. State officials said they are in talks with pharmacists over the implementation of testing, along with funding issues.
“We know that testing is a key component of re-opening the economy and getting to a new normal, and New York State is already doing more tests per capita than any state or country,” Cuomo said. “[The testing] will greatly increase our testing capacity and allow us to expand eligibility for these tests to the frontline workers and essential employees who have been going to work and interacting with the public throughout this crisis.”
D’Angelo, the owner of Franklin Square Pharmacy, said he was appreciative of Cuomo’s support, but noted challenges each pharmacy or health care entity will face.
“We’re happy the governor provided [pharmacists] throughout New York with an opportunity to help out,” D’Angelo said. “We’re all in the process of responding right now, but there are some hurdles to clear like applying for proper licenses and getting our facilities prepared for more equipment.”
D’Angelo said the main priority for independent pharmacists is to roll out the test at their own pace and comfortability.
“They are able to begin the process with the state’s Department of Health at any point,” D’Angelo said. “One of the issues though is that pharmacies are not used to billing medically for supplies, so they have to get comfortable doing that.”
New York state requires pharmacies to apply for a limited-service laboratory license to receive the resources necessary to conduct testing. The Department of Health advises those who apply to allow for a minimum of three weeks to process applications from the date they are received in the office.
“We’re trying to get everyone throughout New York adequately situated with all of the procedural aspects,” D’Angelo said. “The truth is, most of these pharmacists are not ready to run tests like some of the bigger scale facilities like Quest and LabCorp.”
According to officials, Quest Diagnostics conducted 940,000 molecular tests for the coronavirus from March 9 to April 20 throughout the nation. By mid-April, Quest conducted up to 50,000 tests per day throughout the country.
D’Angelo lauded the work of Quest, LabCorp, and other large-scale entities that are able to conduct testing, but said it is imperative to have the smaller-scale, independent pharmacists be able to conduct testing.
He said the society will conduct a webinar within the week, with more than 200 representatives from independent pharmacists slated to participate.
Another hurdle that local pharmacists must take into account, D’Angelo said, is the ability to conduct testing in a safe, most likely outdoor, environment.
“It’s one thing getting all of the proper information, equipment, procedures, billing codes, but we want to make sure the nasal swab testing is conducted to keep everyone as safe as possible,” D’Angelo said.
As of now, diagnostic testing for the coronavirus has been made available in large-scale health care entities such as hospitals and urgent care centers, as well as drive-thru testing at places such as Jones Beach and Stony Brook University.
D’Angelo said if the independent pharmacists were granted permission to conduct diagnostic testing and received the proper guidelines to do so sooner, some of the burdens could have been taken off the state’s shoulders earlier in the pandemic.
“We have been lobbying for this permission from the state for years,” D’Angelo said. “We will all work hard to figure out the correct policies and procedures, and we will do it the right way.”
