BCH revises COVID testing registration, protocols

Due to the surge in COVID-19 Testing requests, Boundary Community Hospital has changed its registration and testing protocols.

Effective immediately, patients requiring COVID-19 testing will be called by a registration clerk when the lab order from their provider is received, BCH officials said in a press release. The registration clerk will complete the registration and schedule the patient for testing.

Due to staffing and testing supply limitations, Boundary Community Hospital can only process a certain number of tests per day. Every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of Boundary County patients requiring testing, officials said.

The majority of COVID-19 testing at Boundary Community Hospital is performed in-house. Thanks in part to community support of the 2016 hospital levy, the BCH Clinical Medical Laboratory purchased state-of-the-art equipment for respiratory virus testing now including SARS-Cov-2. With CARES Act funds, BCH purchased additional equipment specifically for COVID-19 testing providing a high level of accuracy, speed of testing and redundancy, officials said.

“We know you have a choice about wearing mask, we hope you choose to wear a mask, not only, to protect healthcare workers and our most vulnerable, but also, to help slow the spread of the virus,” said BCH CEO Preston Becker. “Our Emergency Department is near capacity and the more we can slow the virus, the better we’ll be able to handle our loved ones who suffer from an illness, heart attack, broken bones, or other medical emergencies. As always, if there is an emergency, please call 9-1-1 or come to the Emergency Department.”

No registration or COVID-19 testing will take place Thursday, Nov. 26.