Want to be tested for the new coronavirus? Call your doctor first, hospitals urge

You should not go to a doctor or emergency department for care or for coronavirus testing, officials say.

Posted 11:16 a.m. Mar 19, 2020 — Updated 8:20 p.m. Mar 24, 2020

Gerald Owens, anchor/reporter,

and

Rick Armstrong, producer

RALEIGH, N.C. — Think you need to be tested for the new coronavirus? Call your doctor first.

As hospital systems begin to test patients for coronavirus, they are faced with new challenges. According to Donald Gintzig, CEO of WakeMed, state leaders and hospital systems face an unprecedented strain.

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Dr. Charles Harr from WakeMed said it and other hospital systems ask that patients who want to be screened first call their own physician or interact with their provider online. This limits person-to-person contact and protects medical staff and other patients in addition to yourself.

"We don't want to expose people as we evaluate them," Harr said. "Most of our private insurers have said they will cover 'tele-health,' where you can chat with a doctor online, which they have not done in the past."

WakeMed's Virtual Care site, where consults are available on-demand 24/7 with no appointment is necessary -- is also now offered at reduced cost -- a flat fee of $15.

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Hospital leaders know the challenge of testing patients and providing care is a whole state effort, so they're working together.

"If you're going to be sick, you couldn't be in a better part of the country, no matter which healthcare system you seek care from," Harr said.

Wake and other county emergency responders are also working closely with hospitals. They recommend -- unless you are critically ill -- you should not go to a doctor or emergency department for care or for coronavirus testing.