Strep Test Home Kits
Subspecialist Referrals
All non-urgent referrals will be sent to the specialist’s office usually within 24 to 48 business hours. In most cases, the specialist office will contact the family within 2 to 3 days.
Diagnostic Tests
Referrals for non-urgent imaging including ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT/CAT Scan) are sent to the radiology department at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital (HDVCH). Referrals for EKGs are sent to Fred and Lena Mejier Heart Center. A representative from Corewell Health will contact you to schedule an appointment. If the test or referral is urgent, we will complete it at the time of your child’s visit and you will know the status before leaving our office.
Home strep kits available for purchase
We initially received a grant to participate in a pilot program allowing for strep testing at home. The response from our patients and families was overwhelmingly positive, such that once our participation in the study was over, we decided to continue offering this service. The kits are available to any child 5 years of age or older for the cost of $20 per kit.
Instructions for use are included in the kit, and an instructional video can be viewed below.
If your child's test is positive, please call our office according to the package insert.
Our phone nurses will ask you to email us a picture of the positive test and the test's expiration date to: homestreptest@foresthillspediatrics.com. The nurse will ask some screening questions to be sure there is nothing more serious for which your child needs to be seen in the office. If there are no further concerns, antibiotics will be sent electronically to your pharmacy without the need for an in-office visit. Please understand the after-hours phone nurse service that we employ Sundays, after 4:30pm weekdays, and after 10am on Saturdays, does not have access to our e-prescribing system and is thus unable to send prescriptions. If you have a positive test during these hours, please call our office at 8am the following business day so we can assist you.
