The Hamptons’ richest are getting $1,000 coronavirus tests at home

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit New York in March, many of the city’s wealthiest retreated to their second homes in the Hamptons.

But COVID-19 has also spread in the famous summer destination, leaving residents in need of testing.

But because this is the Hamptons, a drive-through testing site isn’t how it’s done. Instead, Page Six reports that for both diagnostic and antibody testing, Hamptons’ doctors are making house calls.

According to FOX Business, Suffolk County, which includes the Hamptons, had seen over 29,000 reported cases of COVID-19 as of April 24. Naturally, this increased the demand for testing in the Hamptons, where doctors like Bernard Kruger confirmed they were administering testing from patients’ homes.

(Katie Manning UnSplash)

This all comes with a hefty price tag. Dr. Kruger, who is the co-founder of New York City medical practice, Sollis Health, has always made house calls available to his members in the Hamptons.

With a patient list that reportedly includes Tommy Hilfiger, Howard Stern and Sting, an annual membership fee with Sollis Health is between $3,000 and $5,000 for those who are 45 and older.

“For COVID patients, we remotely monitor vital signs to ensure they are stable, provide telemedicine, house calls and home imaging to assess the progression of the illness, and thus help treat the patient at home unless absolutely medically necessary to go to a hospital," Sollis Health co-founder Andrew Olanow said in a statement to FOX Business.

“This is a preferred outcome for the patient and good for hospitals, which benefit from the reduced patient burden,” he added.

According to Page Six, the house calls are free for members of the clinic, and $1,000 for non-members.

The private clinic’s site confirms Olanow’s statement with a section of its site dedicated to coronavirus concerns. “We’ll send a provider in protective gear to their house to evaluate them and likely take a swab sample that tests for COVID-19 as well as other respiratory conditions like the flu,” the site assures members who are experiencing symptoms of the virus.

“Test results are presently available for COVID-19 within several days. These house calls are available in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and available weekly in the Hamptons.”