Rapid antigen tests available at no cost on PPE Portal

Family doctors and specialists in community practice can now log into the Health PPE Portal to place orders for COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) to be provided at no cost to their clinics.

Physicians in community practice who are registered with the portal can order up to three boxes per clinic (25 tests in each box) for use with symptomatic patients. The ministry says it will assess future allocations based on provincial availability and anticipated supplies from the federal government. Doctors of BC and the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) responded to concerns raised by members and advocated for the availability of tests through the PPE portal for community practices.   

In addition, community clinics can now order double the amount of PPE and critical supplies that they were previously able to order, except for N95 respirators. In addition to the RATs, community doctors can access three-month supplies of medical grade masks, gowns, gloves, eye protection, and disinfecting products.

 If you have questions and are already registered check out the detailed FAQ on the Health PPE Portal or email View Email Addresshealth.ppe@gov.bc.ca with your unique customer number. If you do not yet have a customer number, send an e-mail to View Email Addresshealth.ppe@gov.bc.ca and advise them of your interest in registering.

Qs and As

1 - What happens if my clinic needs more than three boxes of RATs? ​

• If you believe your practice needs access to tests beyond the three box allotment, please email View Email Addresshealth.ppe@gov.bc.ca with your unique customer number and the reasons you require more tests.
• The ministry says it will assess future allocations based on provincial availability and anticipated supplies from the federal government.

2 - What is the physician fee code for administering a rapid antigen test?

• An office visit for COVID-19 with a test is billable under fee item T13701. This fee code is only billable when a test is administered by the physician on a symptomatic patient.

3 - In what cases should I be using these tests?

• Rapid antigen tests are meant for symptomatic individuals only (patients or staff). Recommendations on who should be tested for COVID-19 are available on the BCCDC website.

4 - Am I expected to administer the tests to patients?

• Providers can offer COVID-19 rapid antigen testing as they see fit based on the clinical circumstances. For example, in addition to the test being administered in the office, rapid antigen tests  could be provided to patients or staff for individual use with instructions on how to administer the test and how to understand their test results.
• Please note that doctors offices are not expected to be distribution centers for RATs- the public can access test kits free of charge through pharmacies.

5 - Do positive test results need to be reported?

• Regulated health-care providers and laboratories in BC are legally required to report positive COVID-19 test results to public health under the Public Health Act (Section 10).
• However, reporting a positive test result from a COVID-19 rapid antigen test for patients who self-test is voluntary. Individuals who test positive are encouraged to report their result to public health through the COVID-19 Positive Test Result Reporting Form.

6 - Where can I get information if I or my patients have questions about how to use the test?  

• Information on rapid antigen tests is available on the BCCDC website.