As of August 1, the United States Department of Health and Human Services required seven questions to be asked on orders for COVID-19 tests, and for those answers to be reported. The questions are:
- Is this your first test?
- Are you a health care employee?
- Are you symptomatic as defined by the CDC?
- Date of beginning of symptoms
- Have you been hospitalized related to COVID-19?
- If yes, have you been admitted to the ICU?
- Do you live in a congregate-care setting?
- Are you pregnant?
To ensure we are reporting accurate data to HHS, effective Thursday, October 8, the option to answer these questions with “unknown” will be removed for all outpatient orders. A “yes” or “no” answer will be required.