Beginning Wednesday, May 13th, Patient First will begin drive-up COVID-19 testing by appointment at its location on Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville, MD. This will be the sixth Patient First center offering testing in the Maryland area. Appointments at the Beltsville center may be scheduled now by calling the center at 240-542-5987.
Patient First currently offers COVID-19 testing in Maryland at its Centers at Waldorf (240-427-1926), in Perry Hall on Belair Road (410-429-9200), at Annapolis Road in Odenton (443-351-3917), and on Rockville Pike in Rockville (240-238-0411).
All Patient First Medical Centers, including the designated testing centers, remain open on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day, for patients who have an urgent need for medical or injury care.
Appointments for testing are made by calling a designated testing center. Patients are asked about symptoms and risk factors to determine whether they meet screening criteria based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The screening criteria include meeting any of the following conditions:
Symptoms, you have at least one of the following:
- Coughing
- Shortness of Breath
- Difficulty Breathing
OR you have at least two of the following:
- Fever
- Chills
- Sore Throat
- Fatigue
- Body Aches or Muscle Pain
- Headache
- Nausea and/or Vomiting or Diarrhea
- Loss of Appetite. Loss of Smell and/ or Taste
- If you are a healthcare worker or first responder.
- You have had prolonged contact with (e.g. live with or work closely with) a COVID-19 positive person or a person waiting for COVID-19 test results.
- You reside in a nursing home or other congregate living facility.
- You are a cancer patient who requires COVID-19 testing before beginning or resuming treatment.
- You are required by your doctor, hospital, or outpatient surgical center to have COVID-19 testing prior to a planned surgery.
- You are required by your employer to have COVID-19 testing prior to beginning or returning to work.
Testing is scheduled between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., 7 days a week.
All test samples are collected outside of the center; patients may remain in their vehicles through the entire process. The staff member collecting samples is equipped with proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including an N95 mask, gloves, eye protection, and gown.
Samples are sent to a third-party reference lab for testing. Results will generally be available in about 2-5 days and accessible on Patient First’s Patient Portal. If patients do not already have a Patient First Portal Account set up, they will receive a temporary code allowing them to do so when they come in for testing.
For most insured patients, there is no out-of-pocket expense for COVID-19 testing. The visit will be submitted to patients’ insurance. Patient First accepts all major insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. For self-pay patients, the cost is $90 plus a separate bill from the lab in some cases. The lab will determine what, if anything, it bills the patient.
Appointments are not needed for visits unrelated to COVID-19 testing. All Patient First centers have taken steps to provide a safe environment for patients and staff, including requiring all patients and staff to wear masks while inside the center, thoroughly disinfecting surfaces throughout the center at regular intervals, requiring frequent hand washing, and limiting visitors to only essential family members.
Updates about testing sites, instructions about how to make an appointment, and other information are available at www.patientfirst.com/covid-19-testing.
