Teladoc Offers COVID-19 Antibody Testing

Beginning July 17, 2020, Teladoc physicians will be able to order COVID-19 antibody tests, also known as serology tests, through Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp locations, offering a new way for NRECA Medical Plan participants to access COVID-19 testing.

If a NRECA Medical Plan participant contacts Teladoc with a need for an antibody test, the physician will order it through a Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp location; both are part of the UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus PPO network. Once at the lab location, the participant will need to present their health ID card; Quest or LabCorp will submit the claim, and the participant will pay no out-of-pocket cost for the Teladoc consult or the antibody test. Once testing and diagnostics are completed, the lab will send the results back to Teladoc, where the physician and a nurse will review them. The nurse will then send a message with the results through Teladoc’s secure messaging portal.

Note: Antibody testing is useful for public health officials to understand exposure in a population as it identifies only previous infection. There is not yet scientific evidence regarding post-infection immunity to reinfection. Per the CDC, antibody test results should not be used to determine if someone can return to their worksite.

Updated Teladoc information will go online for benefits administrators and plan participants on July 17. You can also use this email template to draw your employees’ attention to this helpful new feature of the Teladoc benefit.

NRECA Medical Plan participants can contact Teladoc through the NRECA Employee Benefits website’s single sign-on, by going to Teladoc.com/NRECA, by calling 1-800-Teladoc or by requesting a visit through the Teladoc app, which is available for both iOS and Android phones.