DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is responding to a claim by the eMed telemed company that services have been suspended due to the state not paying its bill.
eMed provides services that support the BinaxNow rapid COVID test.
A Colorado Springs man tells the FOX31 Problem Solvers he used the home test when his son developed symptoms that seemed related to COVID-19.
He received a negative result but when he tried to verify the results on the eMed website he saw a message that said the service was not available because the state had not settled its part of the deal.
“The web page basically saying sorry no one’s available because the state hasn’t paid its bill; pretty concerning and surprising at the same time,” he said.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers reached out to the eMed company.
A spokesperson issued this statement saying, “eMed is deeply committed to the State of Colorado and its citizens. Since the announcement in January by the Governor’s office to purchase and deliver two million COVID-19 tests, eMed worked diligently and stood up the infrastructure needed to provide the required services.
Unfortunately, the state has only issued a small percentage of the tests promised.
eMed, at this point, had no other choice than to temporarily suspend this much-needed service due to non payment. We look forward to working with the State on a resolution to this issue.”
FOX31 also reached out to the CDPHE.
A spokesperson said the eMed statement is not true and CDPHE encourages residents to have confidence that they can conveniently and safely use the home test kits.
CDPHE issue this statement:
The statement on their website is false. The state has offered free Binax At-Home tests as another convenient testing strategy for Coloradans. As part of the Binax At-Home program, we partnered with eMed, which provides telehealth services to individuals during the testing process. eMed has breached our purchase order with them and has informed us that they will not provide their telehealth services for the tests that have already been ordered and paid for. We encourage Coloradans to continue using Binax At-Home tests, and because a version of these tests is now available over the counter and without a telehealth appointment, Coloradans can feel confident administering the test themselves. The test is easy to use, and an instructional video can also be found on Abbott’s website. Coloradans with questions can email CDPHE at cdphe_covidtesting@state.co.us.
Colorado has purchased these tests based on demand. The purchasing plan has always been based on utilization. We are committed to being responsible stewards of the state’s COVID funding, and we will invest in testing strategies as necessary.
We initially provided the tests free of charge to educators and gradually increased eligibility for the free tests to more frontline workers. We now offer the free test kits to virtually all Coloradans. We created a webpage to provide information and an easy way for Coloradans to order. The Governor promoted the program at his press conferences, we created social media posts and paid advertising, and sent out press releases to help disseminate information about the program. The Governor delivered tests to a teacher and invited the press to cover that delivery. Despite these efforts, and the state’s due diligence, the demand for these tests is low.