Patient FAQs

There are two ways to start the process with Scarlet: your healthcare provider will upload your lab test order, or you can upload the test order from your healthcare provider. From there, you’ll choose dates and times that work for you, and get assigned a Scarlet Health Professional. Your Scarlet Health Professional will be in contact before the appointment, and you can track their travel to you on the day of your scheduled appointment. You’ll be notified when the Scarlet Health Professional arrives at your location, they’ll collect the test specimen required, and deliver it to a BioReference laboratory for testing.

Your assigned Scarlet Health Professional will be in touch with you ahead of time and you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about your appointment and ask any questions. On the day of your appointment, your Scarlet Health Professional will collect your specimen at your home or workplace (depending on which location you choose). For blood collections, Scarlet Health Professionals require a clean, flat, even surface.  For COVID-19 collections, our Scarlet Health Professionals will swab in your doorway or outside on your porch, deck, etc.

Scarlet can support most tests for which specimens can be collected within a brick and mortar patient service center. However, Scarlet cannot handle specimens that must be collected by a healthcare provider or over an extended time period. Examples of specimens Scarlet does not support currently include stool, swabs such as a Pap smear, bone marrow, or biopsy collections.

Your lab test order will be marked ineligible by the Scarlet team and you and/or your healthcare provider will be notified via email, depending on who uploaded your lab test order.

You can reschedule or cancel your appointment via a link within the initial confirmation email or text message unless your appointment is within 24 hours. If the appointment is within 24 hours, you will have to cancel over the phone by calling 833-455-0245 or you can send an e-mail to ScarletCS@scarlethealth.com.

If your healthcare provider uploads the lab test order through Scarlet, you will receive a notification to schedule your appointment. If you upload your healthcare provider’s lab test order, you will go through the order submission process yourself and choose your appointment dates and times that way.

Currently, we are unable to accommodate bulk appointments. However, we are working on offering this option in the future.

Scarlet appointments may be scheduled up to 180 days in advance.

COVID-19 collections through Scarlet are offered for ages 4+ and collections for other non-COVID-19 testing is offered for ages 10+. A parent or legal guardian must be present for children and adolescents under the age of 18.

To access your laboratory test results after the testing is completed, you will need to log in or register for our secure, HIPAA-compliant Patient Portal. Your test results are also shared with your ordering healthcare provider. The link to register for the Patient Portal is in the Scarlet appointment confirmation link or register at BioReference Laboratories Patient Portal.

No, test results are only available within your BioReference Patient Portal account. After you sign up for the Patient Portal, you will receive an email letting you know that your test results are ready. You can also call our customer service at 888-279-0967

Test result time frames vary based on a number of factors including the type of tests ordered.

If you don’t receive your test results, please email patientportal@bioreference.com or call 888-279-0967. Hours of operation are M-F 8AM-8PM ET and Sa-Su 9AM-5PM ET.

Yes, BioReference is contracted with most national health plans and hundreds of regional health plans. See if you are covered: https://www.bioreference.com/physicians/why-bioreference/insurance-coverage/

To utilize Scarlet, you will need to upload a valid lab test order from your healthcare provider. You can choose self-pay and choose not to submit to your insurance company, which includes a Scarlet collection fee in addition to the cost of the laboratory testing. For COVID-19 tests, you can request a test without a lab test order from your personal physician and pay the cost out-of-pocket. Wheel Health, Inc., a licensed physician network, will assess your request for the COVID-19 test and, if approved, will serve as the ordering provider for the COVID-19 test.

BioReference (Scarlet Health®) is in-network with most health care plans. If booking an appointment using your health insurance, you will not be charged any additional Scarlet fees for utilizing the Scarlet service, just as if you were getting drawn at your healthcare provider’s office or at a patient service center. If you are self-pay, there will be a $15 Scarlet fee in addition to the fee for the laboratory testing.

Our Scarlet Health Professionals are highly trained to help ensure that our patients are safe by following applicable CDC and state guidelines.

• If you are getting tested for COVID-19, you will be provided a questionnaire to complete prior to your appointment. We offer specimen collections for patients with COVID-19 symptoms or if household members have COVID-19 symptoms.
• If the appointment is specifically testing for COVID-19, we ask that the collection (lower nasal swab) is completed outside of your home, on a porch, in a doorway, etc.

For all COVID-19 collections, our Scarlet Health Professionals wear gloves, a lab coat, and a face covering, including a face mask and shield at all times, and maintain 6 feet distance from household members other than the patient, unless safety or core function of the work requires a shorter distance.

Your test results will be available online approximately 1-3 days after your RT-PCR test specimen is delivered to the laboratory. You will be able to view your test results in the secure HIPAA-compliant, BioReference Patient Portal. Note that high laboratory demand might lead to turnaround time delays.

You will receive COVID-19 RT-PCR test, a highly sensitive and specific molecular test performed at BioReference Laboratories, a CLIA certified and CAP-accredited laboratory. The RT-PCR test generally is more accurate in the detection of COVID-19 than an antigen-based point of care diagnostic tests.

This RT-PCR test involves a lower nasal swab of both nostrils, used to detect whether or not a patient is infected with COVID-19.

To minimize exposure, your Scarlet Health Professional will be collecting the specimen outside of your home. This could be on your porch, in your backyard, or wherever you feel comfortable. If you schedule your appointment at an apartment, your specimen will be collected in your doorway. Please clear an area for our Scarlet Health Professional to safely perform the collection.

If you receive an Invalid test result, you can repeat the test at no additional charge to you. A Scarlet representative will contact you to coordinate a specimen collection for a retest. If your retest is also “Invalid,” we recommend you contact your personal healthcare provider for next steps.

Requirements can vary by airline or destination, so please confirm with your destination to ensure you request the right type of COVID-19 test, are tested at the right time, and whether the airline or destination has a defined network of approved laboratories. If you receive an incorrect type of test, are tested too early or late, or did not obtain testing from an approved laboratory, you could find yourself self-quarantining at your destination or prohibited from traveling. Remember laboratory testing turn-around times may vary.

Payment for the RT-PCR test must be made at the time of scheduling your appointment. We accept most major credit/debit cards. No checks or cash.

Our Scarlet Health Professionals are trained to safely collect anterior nares nasal samples from children 4 years or older.

A parent or legal guardian must be present and available to assist with the collection.  Please have the child sit on your lap or in a chair next to them to assist in steadying them for the collection process. We may not be able to perform the collection if the patient is excited, agitated, overly fidgety, or if the parent or legal guardian is not present (babysitters, neighbors, etc. are not adequate when collecting on a minor).