Q Care Plus FAQs

Q Care Plus’ services are for all adults (18 years of age and older) living in eligible states who want to take charge of their sexual health. Q Care Plus currently provides PrEP and Doxy-PEP prescription services to HIV-negative individuals as well as telehealth care to those living with HIV.

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. Either you can request an at-home lab kit that we’ll discreetly mail to your door, or you can choose to go to a nearby site for a blood draw. We will test you 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.

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.

If you meet with your Q Care Plus provider and together decide that PrEP and Doxy-PEP are right for you, you can receive a prescription for both medications at the same time. Your provider will provide expert information on how to use Doxy-PEP, and ongoing counseling support will be provided along with periodic STI screening. Currently, Q Care Plus only prescribes Doxy-PEP to patients in eligible states and only with your PrEP prescription.

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.

We take your privacy very seriously. Any information you submit through our online portal is transmitted via industry standard encryption and stored in encrypted form on servers according to federal standards under HIPAA. We do not share your information without your consent.

If you select our convenient at-home testing option, we will ship the collection kit to your location of choice in discreet packaging. The instructions for self-collection are included, and the process takes less than 15 minutes! After you have collected your samples, you’ll mail the kit back to us 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 an at-home lab kit will be shipped to you in discreet packaging. The renewal assessment occurs every three months, keeping you on track with your PrEP prescription schedule. Those who do not wish to self-collect samples at home will have the option of visiting a nearby testing center to complete lab testing.

Your at-home lab testing kit will include detailed instructions, a blood collection kit (two (2) specimen cards and lancets), two (2) swabs for your oral and rectal samples, one (1) urine cup and pipette, three (3) labeled vials, and three (3) collection bags. You can view a short video on the lab collection process here. Your provider is available should you have any questions about the process.

It generally takes 5-7 business days for the lab to receive and process your test kit, after which your provider reviews your results and reaches out to discuss any concerns. You can check the transit status of your lab kit, as well as the results once complete, at https://web.qcareplus.com/login in your “Labs” section.

Not at all! There are more than 2,200 in-person testing locations across the country you can choose to complete your lab testing. Appointments can easily be made and modified online through your Q Care Plus portal. While many prefer the privacy and convenience of at-home testing, in-person collection typically delivers faster results and is preferred by some individuals. Of note, urine and swab collection for STIs requires at-home collection, even if you choose to have blood specimens collected in person. Your provider is available to answer any questions about the lab testing process.

Once you arrive at the clinic, a typical in-person lab appointment takes about 15 minutes. There are more than 2,200 locations across the country where you can go for testing. Appointments can be made and modified online through your Q Care Plus portal.

Clinical guidelines recommend periodic lab testing while on PrEP for several reasons. First, we want to confirm that you remain HIV-negative while on PrEP, as do virtually all persons who use PrEP as directed to prevent HIV infection. While kidney dysfunction on PrEP is exceedingly rare, we keep an eye on your kidney health, which requires a blood test. Also, we care about your overall sexual health, and that involves periodic STI screening – necessary because most STIs are present without any symptoms. Comprehensive STI screening requires one blood test as well as urine and swab samples. We’re here to keep you healthy!

After your first appointment is complete, you can communicate with a Q Care Plus provider as needed through our secure website by email, online chat, phone call, or video chat.

After your appointment, your Q Care Plus provider will send your initial PrEP prescription to one of our partner pharmacies. From there, your prescription should ship within 24 business hours and will typically arrive at your front door within 1-2 business days. While our goal is to minimize any delay in getting PrEP in your hands, our providers will talk with you about the best timing to start PrEP. You can track your medication shipment in your Q Care Plus patient portal. There may be a short delay if your insurance company requires additional documentation to approve the medication or for copay or uninsured assistance. Our Support staff handles all of this for you.

Your at-home lab kit and/or prescription(s) will be quickly sent to you via Priority Mail®, FedEx, UPS, or local courier. 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 we send you an at-home lab kit, prescription, or refill. You can track your packages in the Q Care Plus patient portal.

Absolutely! When you complete your online profile, we’ll ask if you already have an existing prescription on file somewhere else. If so, we can transfer that prescription over to our system, and if you’re already up to date on your labs, we will obtain those results and get your refill to you quickly. Delivery is free and we’ll do our absolute best to make sure there are little to no out-of-pocket expenses on your end.

Most individuals accessing PrEP as Q Care Plus use it on a once-daily basis. This dosing method is extremely forgiving, such that a single missed dose does not significantly affect the risk reduction benefit. On the other hand, 2-1-1 (or event-driven dosing) requires precise adherence to a specific dosing schedule for it to be effective. If you are interested in PrEP 2-1-1 dosing, your provider will discuss the pros and cons with you, and together, you will decide the best plan of care to meet your personal situation while keeping you healthy.

Here’s a quick video tutorial with everything you need to know and do, one step at a time: https://qcareplus.com/prep/hiv-sti-std-testing/
Remember your provider is always available to assist you if you have remaining questions.

At Q Care Plus, an integral part of PrEP care is routine and periodic screening for STIs. As your PrEP provider, we take that aspect of your care very seriously. If you test positive for an STI in our care, we will reach out to talk to you about the result, discuss treatment options for you and any partners you have, and ensure you receive treatment. Some STIs can be treated with oral medication, and we will prescribe that treatment according to clinical guidelines, sending it either to our partner pharmacy or a local pharmacy as required. If the STI requires injectable medication, we will refer you to a local clinic to obtain this treatment, unless you have a primary care or other provider you prefer. Your Q Care Plus provider is always available to discuss the best treatment options for you and answer any questions you might have. We’re here for you!

Becoming HIV-positive while on PrEP is a vanishingly rare event when PrEP is taken as directed. However, some individuals come to us for PrEP unaware they have already acquired HIV infection. Our providers are highly trained in addressing all the issues associated with receiving a diagnosis of HIV, including how to immediately initiate HIV treatment, what sort of clinician evaluation is needed, and how to support you as you adjust to the diagnosis. Q Care Plus can continue your HIV care by telehealth, and your provider will talk with you about available options and which form of care will best meet your needs.

Q Care Plus provides care services to both HIV-negative adults via our PrEP and doxy-PEP prescriptions and those living with HIV via our virtual HIV care program, Q Care Link. We’re also happy to help connect people living with HIV to local organizations for care and support. Just get in touch, and we will help you get what you need.

Q Care Plus works with local organizations that utilize a federal program known as 340B, which allows these organizations to generate funds to pay for your lab testing and clinical services. This allows Q Care Plus and its partner organizations to provide PrEP at little or no cost to you. To generate the necessary financial support, the medication must be filled by one of their partner pharmacies. The benefit of utilizing such an in-network pharmacy partner is that your lab testing, provider services, and prescription shipping costs are covered. If your insurance’s required pharmacy is outside of this network, you can petition your pharmacy to allow you to use the partner pharmacy; if unable, you can still utilize the program for a total of three (3) monthly PrEP fills.

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.

If you have Medicare Part D coverage, this includes your prescription coverage. Medicare insurance plans often charge a high copay for PrEP. Our Support team will do our best to find a copay assistance program for you to cover your copay. You may wish to contact your insurance to determine how they cover PrEP and/or visit the Medicare website for more information about what this might mean for your PrEP care: https://www.medicare.gov/drug-coverage-part-d/costs-for-medicare-drug-coverage/costs-in-the-coverage-gap

If you choose to proceed with Q Care Plus, when the pharmacy contacts you for your first shipment, they will already have confirmed how much of the medication cost your insurance covered as well as the copay assistance that was secured.

Q Care Plus online provider appointments are available 7-days a week and include evenings (availability may vary by state and by day). You can select the day, time, and provider that is most convenient for you during the appointment scheduling process. The Q Care Plus online portal can be accessed 24-hours a day, 7-days a week and you are able to message your provider or Support at any time should you have any questions about your care. You can also reach out with questions via our website’s contact form. We’ll get back to you the next business day.

Q Care Plus currently serves patients virtually in a large number of states. If your state is not currently active, you can easily join our waiting list.  We are expanding steadily and will notify you the second we open your state for online services!