Yes! Q Care Plus follows all the same laws, guidelines, and medical standards as any other hospital or physician in the United States. Our providers are experts in their fields and specialize in the provision of sensitive healthcare services. The Q Care Plus platform meets the highest standards of data security and privacy.
Q Care Plus has $0 out-of-pocket costs to sign up for our service. If you’re insured, we will only use your insurance for the medication, and if you have a copay, we will coordinate with the pharmacy to obtain copayment assistance for the medication. Q Care Plus PrEP prescriptions and services are free for nearly all our patients. If there is a cost for you, we will notify you BEFORE your medication is shipped so you can accept charges or cancel your prescription. Please note we are required to use insurance for the medication if you have an active insurance plan that covers PrEP. Your lab testing and provider fees will be covered by a non-profit partner in our eligible states if you are able to utilize their pharmacy network that ships the medication with no shipping fees! Additionally, once on PrEP, doxy-PEP may also be provided at no cost to virtually all Q Care Plus patients.
Q Care Plus currently serves patients virtually in a large number of states. If your state is not currently active for online PrEP, doxy-PEP, or HIV care, you can easily join our waiting list. We are expanding steadily and will notify you the second we open your state for online services!
Q Care Plus provides PrEP plus doxyPEP prescriptions to patients living in the following states:
Q Care Plus’ online HIV treatment program, Q Care Link, provides care to patients living with HIV in the following states:
Absolutely. Switching to Q Care Plus is simple, and you don’t need to stop your current prescription before reaching out. Many of our patients come to us from a primary care provider, local clinic, or another telehealth service looking for responsive providers who specialize in sexual health, easier refills, free at-home testing materials through our third-party laboratory partner, discreet delivery, and. To make the switch, sign up online, complete your online health questionnaire, and let your provider know you’re transitioning from another PrEP program. We’ll coordinate your care so you stay protected without a gap in coverage.
Q Care Plus is built specifically around PrEP, doxy-PEP, and sexual wellness, which means our licensed providers specialize in the kind of care a general practitioner may not focus on every day. Our providers are directly accessible, responding to patient inquiries and needs generally within a 24-hour window. Patients choose us for stigma-free, sex-positive, compassionate care; free provider consultations and free access to at-home testing materials for insured patients; discreet delivery coordinated through pharmacy partners; same-day, evening and weekend availability; and quarterly testing built into the experience. Many people also love that they can keep their primary care doctor for general health while letting our team handle their HIV and STI prevention from home.
PrEP is only available by prescription. To receive a PrEP prescription from Q Care Plus, you’ll complete an easy online profile, meet with an expert clinician, and complete labs. You can request testing materials that will be mailed to you confidentially, or you can choose to go to a nearby site for a blood draw. Eligible patients will be tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, kidney function, and other bacterial STIs. Once your lab results are complete, you can access them through our friendly portal. Your clinician will discuss any abnormal results with you. With labs complete, your provider will prescribe the remainder of your quarterly PrEP prescription.
Click the ‘Get Started’ button, create a profile, and schedule a quick (often less than 15 minutes) virtual appointment with a Q Care Plus provider. Once your provider confirms PrEP is right for you, they’ll issue an immediate initial PrEP prescription and order lab testing, which can be completed at-home or at a nearby location. Our pharmacy partner will contact you to schedule your discreet prescription delivery. Additional PrEP refills will be issued once your labs are completed and reviewed by your provider.
People who inject drugs make up nearly 10% of HIV diagnoses. Because used needles, syringes, and injection equipment may contain another person’s blood (which may contain HIV), sharing drug injection equipment with other people greatly increases your risk of contracting the virus. If you share needles or other drug equipment or have a drug injecting partner, PrEP can significantly reduce your HIV risk.
Source: hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics/No. PrEP only prevents HIV. It does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. For added protection against bacterial STIs, ask your Q Care Plus provider about doxy-PEP, an antibiotic taken after sex that can lower your risk of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Q Care Plus providers can prescribe doxy-PEP alongside PrEP for eligible patients, so you can build a more complete prevention plan through a single consultation. Using condoms is also an effective way to reduce your risk of STIs while on PrEP.
PrEP reaches maximum protection after 7 days of daily use when HIV risk is related to receptive anal sex. For risk related to receptive vaginal sex or injection drug use, PrEP reaches maximum protection after about 21 days of daily use. To stay protected, you need to take PrEP every day as prescribed. Your Q Care Plus provider will walk you through what to expect when you start, and we send refill and testing reminders to help you stay on track.
Take doxy-PEP as soon as possible after condomless oral, anal, or insertive vaginal sex, ideally within 24 hours. The latest you should take it is 72 hours after sex. The sooner you take it, the more effective it is at preventing chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Doxy-PEP is typically prescribed as two 100mg pills taken in a single dose with at least 8 ounces of water. Stay standing or upright for the next 30 to 60 minutes after taking it.
When taken as prescribed, doxy-PEP lowers the risk of chlamydia by about 80% and the risk of gonorrhea and syphilis by over 50%. According to the CDC, doxy-PEP is most effective when taken within 24 to 72 hours of sex. Doxy-PEP only works for bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis). It does not protect against HIV, herpes, HPV, or viral STIs.
Doxy-PEP is often prescribed alongside PrEP because the same activities that put you at risk for HIV also put you at risk for bacterial STIs. PrEP prevents HIV, and doxy-PEP helps prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, so together they cover more of your sexual health needs. Bundling the two also lets your Q Care Plus provider monitor you with quarterly STI testing, manage refill authorizations in one place, and counsel you on safe, responsible use.
PrEP is an HIV prevention option for women who do not have HIV and may be at increased risk of acquiring HIV through sex or injection drug use. You may want to consider PrEP if you have a sexual partner with HIV (especially if their viral load is unknown or detectable) or you do not consistently use condoms with a partner or partners whose HIV status is unknown. PrEP may also be appropriate for women who inject drugs and share needles, syringes, or other injection equipment, or who have an injection partner with HIV.
For women whose HIV risk is from receptive vaginal sex, daily oral PrEP reaches maximum protection after about 21 days of consistent use. For risk related to receptive anal sex, PrEP reaches maximum protection after 7 days. To stay protected, you need to take PrEP every day as prescribed.
Truvada and Descovy are the oral PrEP options available through Q Care Plus providers for women. Truvada (or its generic, emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is FDA-approved for HIV prevention in women, including those at risk through receptive vaginal sex. Descovy is also an option preferred by many for the pill size and lesser side effects for most, and it is recommended for women by IAS-USA based on more recent clinical evidence. Both are taken as a once-daily pill and are 99% effective at preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. Your provider can discuss options with you.
Yes. PrEP is safe to take alongside hormonal birth control pills, patches, and most IUDs. Q Care Plus offers PrEP and hormonal birth control pills together as part of our women’s sexual health services; patches and IUDs are managed through your regular OB-GYN or primary care provider. You can request birth control during your initial PrEP consultation, or, if you are an existing PrEP patient, message your provider through the patient portal. Your provider will review your health history and prescribe an option when clinically appropriate.
Your at-home testing materials and/or prescription(s) will be quickly sent to you via Priority Mail®, FedEx, UPS, or local courier by lab or pharmacy partner(s). Everything is delivered in discreet packaging without any logos or mentions of Q Care Plus, the pharmacy, or what’s inside. Deliveries are always free. While mail order is the standard means of getting PrEP to you, in limited instances, our partner pharmacies have physical locations where you can pick up your medication. Our pharmacists will work closely with you to meet your specific needs.
Q Care Plus will email you a tracking number every time one of our partners send you at-home testing materials, prescriptions, or refills. You can track your packages in the Q Care Plus patient portal.
If you select the convenient at-home testing option, testing materials will be shipped to your location of choice in discreet packaging. The instructions for testing at home are included, and the process takes less than 15 minutes! After you have completed your at-home test, you’ll mail it to the lab within 48 hours with the provided, prepaid priority mail envelope. Upon receipt, our partner lab will process the results right away. After your first 90 days on PrEP, we will reach out with a brief renewal assessment, and, if you choose this option again, testing materials will be shipped to you in discreet packaging. The renewal assessment occurs every three months, keeping you on track with your PrEP prescription schedule.
A CLIA-certified lab is a laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988, a U.S. federal program designed to ensure the quality, accuracy, and reliability of laboratory testing in the United States. Anyone who does not wish to test at home for any reason has the option of visiting a nearby testing center to complete lab testing with a blood draw.
If you’re experiencing STI symptoms, we recommend visiting your local health department, urgent care center, or primary care physician for immediate evaluation.
Your test comes with detailed instructions. Remember your provider is always available to assist you if you have remaining questions.
Q Care Plus can provide care to most patients who have Managed Medicaid plans. These plans generally do not have as many restrictions as Fee-For-Service Medicaid plans. If you are unsure as to what type of Medicaid plan you have, we recommend contacting your insurance to confirm, and asking them if they require a Medicaid licensed provider to process your prescriptions. If you are unable to confirm this information, we will do so on your behalf once your prescription is sent to our partner pharmacy.
