Any person in New York that wishes to be tested for COVID-19 may be tested. However, this does not mean that insurance will cover the cost of the test and we are finding that many commercial payers are NOT setup for pharmacies to provide rapid COVID tests at this time.

Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy recommends COVID-19 testing be performed in accordance with guidelines from New York State, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the manufacturers of the testing kits. If a patient is tested outside of state or federal guidelines, or any additional guidelines issued by their insurance company, the patient will be responsible for all charges associated with the test. Many commercial payers have restrictions on COVID-19 testing and as such are not covering COVID testing for screening and assessment of asymptomatic patients for purposes such as travel advisories, employer mandates, back to school requirements, visits to nursing homes, or research. Please check the website of your insurance company for the most up to date information.

Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy recommends patients schedule testing based on the timing of the development of symptoms associated with COVID-19, at least 2-3 days after symptoms have developed. According to the CDC, and based on preliminary data, the median incubation period and time to symptom onset is approximately 5 days from exposure, but may range anywhere between 2-14 days.

There may be free testing sites available from the Department of Health, check with your county Health Department for more details.

Anyone who is symptomatic should remain in isolation until COVID-19 infection has been ruled out.

Due to the demand for testing we ask that patients NOT book appointments as place holders. We will reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee for any no shows or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment.

The Rapid COVID tests utilized by Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy (and other providers) are not FDA approved and instead have been made available under what is called an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. For more information on EUAs related to COVID click here.

COVID-19 RT-PCR Molecular Test: $45.00

This is NOT a rapid test. This is a RT-PCR test for an active COVID-19 infection where Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy serves as the collection site (via nasal swab) for offsite analysis by a high complexity lab. Patients can expect results within 36-48 hours. Riverdale Specialty Pharmacy will charge a collection fee and there will be an additional charge from the lab if the test is not covered by insurance. The virus is detectable within 7-10 days of the onset of illness.