Anti-psychotic medications can be an important part of your child’s treatment plan. However, these medications can cause side effects. To monitor for these side effects, your child’s doctor will recommend that lab tests are done while they are taking an antipsychotic medication.
Going to a lab appointment isn’t always easy. That’s why Chorus Community Health Plans is pleased to now offer an option to receive an At-Home Lab Kit through Quest Diagnostics.
Who Qualifies? Your child could be could be eligible to receive an At-Home Lab Kit from Quest Diagnostics if:
- They are a current CCHP Medicaid or Care4Kids Medicaid member, AND
- They are 17 years or younger, AND
- They are currently prescribed an antipsychotic medication by their doctor
Monitoring for Medication Side Effects with an At-Home Lab Kit
- Who is the kit from? CCHP has partnered with Quest Diagnostics to offer this at-home lab kit to our members.
- Who is Quest Diagnostics? Quest Diagnostics is a lab provider in CCHP’s network.
- What is included in the At-Home Lab Kit?
- Is the At-Home Lab Kit covered by my child’s insurance? This lab kit is a covered benefit for members of CCHP Medicaid and Care4Kids Medicaid.
- Is there any out-of-pocket cost? No. CCHP covers 100% of the costs for the at-home lab kit. The kit includes a pre-paid envelope to send the completed kit back to Quest Diagnostics. This means you don’t need to pay for any stamps or postage.
- Will I get a bill from Quest Diagnostics or my child’s doctor? You should not receive a bill from Quest Diagnostics or your child’s doctor. If you do receive a bill, please contact CCHP’s Member Advocates.
CCHP wants to make it easy for your child to complete their lab tests. With an at-home lab kit, no appointment is needed at a lab facility. You can complete the at-home lab kit when it is convenient for you and your child.
- What are the lab tests being done? The lab tests are done to find out how your child’s body handles glucose (sugar) and cholesterol (fat-like substances). The tests will measure how much glucose and cholesterol are in your child’s blood.
- Why does my child need these lab tests? Your child’s doctor has prescribed a medicine to treat their health condition. Like any medication, this medicine can cause side effects. One side effect of this medicine is that your child’s body can stop handling sugar and fat like it should. This means that your child’s body may not be able to move sugar and fat out of the blood and into the body cells. If the sugar and fat stay in the blood, the body cells won’t have the energy and building blocks they need. If there is too much sugar and fat in the blood, blood vessels can also be damaged or blocked. This can cause diseases like diabetes and heart disease. These diseases can lead to serious health problems. These lab tests help your child’s doctor to see if your child could be having this side effect.
CCHP has received information from your child’s doctor about the medications they have been prescribed to treat their health condition. CCHP contacted you to offer the option of your child completing their lab tests with this at-home lab kit.
- Who contacted me from CCHP? If your child is a member of Care4Kids, their current Care Coordinator contacted you. If your child is a member of CCHP, one of our Case Managers contacted you.
CCHP has shared information about this at-home lab kit with all providers in our network. This information was shared by postal mail, email, and is on our provider webpage.
- Will CCHP contact my child’s doctor? Yes. If you want your child to receive an at-home lab kit, CCHP will contact your child’s doctor to get the appropriate orders. CCHP will then send the orders to Quest Diagnostics on your child’s doctor’s behalf. CCHP will also give your child’s doctor the contact information for Quest Diagnostics and CCHP’s Provider Services, in case they have any questions.
- What kind of blood sample is needed? A small amount of blood from your child’s fingertip is needed.
- How is the blood sample collected? The kit includes the supplies to perform a “finger-stick” to collect the blood sample from your child’s fingertip. The blood sample will be collected on a “collection card” that is included in the lab kit.
- How do we send the completed lab kit back to Quest Diagnostics? The lab kit will include a small envelope where you will place the completed “collection card” and then seal the envelope. The kit will also include a form you will fill out with your child’s information and the date/time information for when the blood sample was collected. Both the completed form and the sealed envelope with the “collection card” inside should be placed inside the large manila envelope provided in the kit. The mailing information for Quest Diagnostics will already be filled out on the large manila envelope, and it will be pre-paid for postage. Just put the sealed manila envelope in the postal mail, and it will be sent to Quest Diagnostics.
After you complete the kit and mail it back to Quest Diagnostics, the lab will perform the necessary tests on your child’s blood sample.
- Will Quest Diagnostics contact my child’s doctor with the results? Yes. Quest Diagnostics will send your child’s doctor a report with the results of the lab tests.
- How can I get a copy of the results of the lab tests? You can contact your child’s doctor to receive a copy of the results. If you need help contacting your child’s doctor, please call CCHP’s Member Advocates.
- Why did CCHP call me after we completed the lab kit? Quest Diagnostics will notify CCHP when the results of your child’s lab tests have been sent to your child’s doctor. CCHP will then contact you to make sure that your child’s doctor discussed the results with you. The CCHP staff member who called you will be able to help you if you need to contact your child’s doctor.
I Have More Questions.
How Can I Contact CCHP?
- If your child is a member of Care4Kids, please call: 1-855-371-8104
- If your child is a member of CCHP, please call: 1-877-227-1142
- Use the form below to submit a question to our team