How will patients know how to collect their samples?
All self-collection kits will include printed instructions walking patients through each step of the collection process, including properly packaging and returning their samples. If additional support is required, Ash has collection videos that can be posted on your website or shared with patients as needed. Both are available in the “Ash Instructional Materials” section of the resource center.
Can patients reach out to Ash if they have questions on their kit or collection process?
Ash services, unless otherwise specified in your contract, are entirely white-labeled, so we will never interface directly with your patients. We recommend including your own support line on your custom branded insert, so that patients can reach out to you directly. Then, if you still need help answering their questions, you can forward along to clientsuccess@poweredbyash.com, where we will provide feedback or resources to your support team.
Do patients need to fill out a requisition form for lab processing?
No. Ash does not use requisition forms in its self collection kits. Instead, patients will provide their name, date of birth, collection date and time on the labels adhered to each collection device. Collection labels also include the kit ID and a barcode that will pull up the electronic lab order created for the patient. The combination of the information provided in these labels and electronic lab order creates the patient requisition and allows the lab to match patient identifiers to ensure they have the right kit.
Note: Clients are responsible for collecting any additional information required at time of sample collection to interpret results as part of secondary kit registration step. More information on this can be found in the order process and monitoring FAQ section.
What if I want to change the tests being run after the order has been placed?
Because there is no requisition form, it is not possible to change the tests being run after an order has been placed. This includes adding additional tests and removing tests from a panel. If you would like to offer a different test or different combination of tests than what you are contracted or set up for, please coordinate with your client success manager to add these to your test menu. You can reference the “Recommended Panels” section of the resource center to see commonly used panel.
What happens if a patient does not fill out their collection labels?
This step is clearly laid out in the written and video instructions provided by Ash. That said, if a patient does not fill in their information, the kit will be taken out of production, or temporarily “rejected”, upon arrival to the lab. Ash will receive a notification alerting them of the rejection and reach out to your team to confirm patient information in order to place the kit back into production. The lab must match all three patient identifiers - kit ID, full name and DOB - to the online order to process samples.
How quickly do patients need to send their samples back?
Before collecting, most devices have 1-5 years shelf lives. That said, depending on what test you are running and for what purposes, you likely want to encourage patients to complete their collection right away.
Once a sample has been collected, the clock start running. The amount of time depends on the stability of the collection device. Most devices are stable for ~30 days after sample collection, with the exception of microtainers, used for blood collection in New York State. To ensure samples are able to be processed by the lab, we urge patients to send samples back as soon as possible after completing collection.
What happens if a sample is returned late to the lab?
Every lab has its own criteria for evaluating samples, though most use the 30-day cutoff as a baseline. This is meant to ensure the stability and integrity of the sample. If a sample exceed the 30-day limit after collection, or if it is deemed compromised by other means, the lab will reject the sample, and a replacement kit will need to be ordered to completed testing.
What if a kit arrives to the lab with a missing sample or other issue?
If the lab is not able to process a sample for any reason, it will be taken out of production and marked as rejected. This alerts the Ash team, and in some cases client directly, that a kit is unable to be processed. Rejections are either recoverable, meaning they can be remediated and placed back into production, or non-recoverable, meaning the lab is unable to process the sample and a replacement will need to be order. More information on kit rejections, and the possible reason for rejections, is available in the kit rejection FAQ section.
Cost of replacement kits due to sample issues or patient errors are not covered by Ash and thus will not be comped accordingly.
How long can the sample stay at the lab while we work out any issues?
Labs will keep samples for 7 days to remediate any issues, after which they will be discarded.
Once a kit is processing, how long until results are ready?
Labs typically process results within 3-5 business days.
Where does physician review fit into this?
Physician review is required in order for results to be released from the lab. If you are utilizing Ash’s physician network for order review, orders will be sent to physician to review at the time of kit registration, whether upon ordering or receiving. If you are utilizing your own physician network for order review, orders must be placed “pre-approved” with physician and NPI information provided as part of order placement*. More information on this can be found in our API documentation
For clients utilizing Ash physician’s network for results review, a case will only be reopened with the physician if there is a critical result requiring outreach or immediate follow-up / care.
*Client utilizing an Ash provider portal will have NPI information preset on the backend as part of the physician’s login, so this information does not need to be provided with each new order.