Physicians and their patients benefit from rapid confirmation of streptococcal infection.
The more information your physician customers have up front, the more accurately they can diagnose and treat their patients’ symptoms. This is especially true in the case of streptococcal infections. Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. The bacteria can be passed from one person to the next through contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. One can become ill three days after being exposed to the germ, and once infected, be contagious for up to three weeks, even if there are no symptoms.
Group A Streptococci can lead to an array of diseases, including pharyngitis, scarlet fever, impetigo, rheumatic fever, pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, sinusitis, endometritis and septicemia. Streptococcal pharyngitis – or strep throat – is especially common in children. Common symptoms of strep throat include the following, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Sore throat
- Severe pain when swallowing
- Fever
- Red, swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches of pus
- Tiny red spots (petechiae) at the back of the roof of the mouth
- Headache
- Nausea
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Body aches
- Rash.
While many patients can benefit from antibiotic treatment, that’s not the case for everyone. Pharyngitis is often caused by viruses, which do not require antibiotics. When antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily based on empirical evidence, it can lead to antibiotic resistance of bacteria. For this reason, it’s especially important that physicians quickly and accurately identify streptococcal infection. Rapid strep tests enable them to do so.
What’s a rapid strep test?
A rapid strep test is a quick, accurate tool used to determine whether or not strep bacteria are present in the patient’s throat. The presence of strep bacteria indicates a need for antibiotic treatment, which can help reduce symptoms, shorten the duration of illness and reduce the possibility of the spread of infection.
The test begins with a cotton swab rubbed over the patient’s tonsils and the back wall of his mouth. Rapid strep tests are designed to respond to the presence of the particular Group A streptococcal bacteria responsible for strep throat, and will not detect viral causes of pharyngitis. A reaction between a protein on the surface of strep bacteria and chemicals in the test materials leads to a positive test, and a positive culture requires antibiotic treatment. Most rapid tests have a sensitivity of 95 percent and a specificity of 98 percent.
Test results generally are available in about 5-10 minutes, enabling the physician to consult with the patient and initiate the appropriate treatment protocol before the patient leaves the office. The test is ready to use and may be stored at room temperature.
Working with customers
Because rapid strep testing is very common, physicians generally raise few, if any, objections to ordering new tests. Sometimes, they may have concerns about being reimbursed. When this happens, sales reps should advise them to contact their insurance carriers and provide the CPT code – 87880QW. Although they may not be reimbursed for HMO patients, reimbursement through private carriers should not be an issue.
At other times, sales reps might encounter a physician who claims not to need a test to diagnose strep A. Physicians such as this believe they can see the white film caused by strep A on a patient’s throat and make a diagnosis based on that. Sales reps should remind their customers that a diagnostic result can help eliminate the subjectivity of results, as well as provide a tool for generating revenue for the practice.
Target customers include:
- Pediatricians
- Family Practices
- Urgent Care/ Walk In Clinics
- Multi-Specialty Clinics
- Community Health Centers
- Reference Labs
Distributor sales reps should approach their customers with the following probing questions to gauge their interest in – and determine their need for – rapid strep tests:
- “Doctor, do you currently use a rapid strep A kit? If not, why?”
- “Would having a result while the patient is in the office help you make a quicker diagnosis and provide a faster patient treatment?”
- “Do you ever see parents with sick children who would like an immediate diagnosis?”
When physicians have fast, accurate information about their patients’ health, they can diagnose illnesses and prescribe accurate treatment, all in one patient visit.
Editor’s note: Repertoire would like to thank Sekisui Diagnostics for its assistance with this piece.
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