COVID-19 testing is a vital component of well-being today, and it is our mission to make testing procedures as straightforward as possible for both patients and providers.
Below you will find information about the process at Penn Medicine and when to order a STAT test.
STAT/Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Testing
When can I perform a STAT test?
When placing orders for testing, please be mindful that STAT tests (aka Rapid/Cepheid) should be used only in specific circumstances that warrant them. We are at risk of losing our ability to provide STAT tests due to the volume of orders being placed for these tests. If we continue our daily usage trend, our supplies will soon be depleted.
In no instance should STAT tests be ordered for outpatient activity.
Who is eligible for STAT/rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing?
With continuing nationwide shortages, SARS-CoV-2 STAT testing is our most limited testing resource. For these reasons, STAT tests are only recommended in the following instances:
- Patients who require admission after presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) as a COVID-19 Patient under Investigation (PUI); following the test, these patients must remain in the ED pending results (the results will dictate admission location).
- Day-of-service testing for transplant patients
- Obstetric patients presenting for active and scheduled deliveries
- Unplanned emergency aerosolization generating procedures
- Trauma patients upon arrival
- Specific instances in which patients who require transfer to a new site of care and urgent care upon arrival (e.g., Behavioral Health)
Emergency Department STAT Test Guidelines
In the emergency department (ED), STAT tests are required for:
- Patients presenting to the ED as a COVID-19 PUI who require admission; these patients should get a rapid (STAT) test and remain in the ED pending results. Test results will dictate admission location.
- Patients presenting to the ED with a history of COVID-19 who require admission; these patients should get a STAT test and remain in the ED pending results.
Patients presenting to the ED as a COVID-19 PUI who can be managed at home should get a routine test and will be discharged from the ED pending results.
Patients who present to the ED for all other issues will be admitted to a non-COVID-19 unit. Routine testing should be sent from the ED or the admission unit. The patient will not not managed as a PUI and does not require COVID-19 isolation precautions.