About Marcia Eisenberg
In March 2020, Marcia Eisenberg, chief scientific officer and senior vice president at Labcorp, discussed the company's new test for the coronavirus on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." She stated that Labcorp began receiving samples on the Thursday prior to the interview and had begun reporting results. Eisenberg said the company had capacity for "several thousand a day" and was working "almost around the clock" to increase that capacity over the following weeks.
Eisenberg explained that samples—oral and nasal swabs—must be collected at a physician's office, not at a Labcorp patient center. She noted that as a national provider, Labcorp could receive samples from all states, regardless of geographic hot spots. She described the turnaround time as "up to three to four days" and said the company was still awaiting final pricing from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA).
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Marcia Eisenberg's recent appearances.
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Transcript (11 segments)
I
Interviewer0:11
Samples into Friday and over the weekend, and we have begun reporting those results. To give us a sense of the capacity that you're able to add to the system now that you're online, yes.
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Marcia Eisenberg0:25
We have capacity now for several thousand a day and are working almost around the clock to increase that capacity over the next few weeks.
I
Interviewer0:37
Right now, if patients want to get tested, they have to be giving samples at the doctor's office, right? They can't walk into a LabCorp patient center and do it there. Can you tell us about the process?
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Marcia Eisenberg0:47
Yes, that is correct. The type of samples that are being used, oral and nasal swabs, are actually collected at a physician's office. So when a patient sees their...
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Interviewer1:11
Geographic distribution around the country, given that there are several hot spots in Washington, Northern California, New York State, increasingly in Massachusetts. Do you try to make sure that you have more capacity closer to those places, or does it matter?
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Marcia Eisenberg1:23
For us, it doesn't matter. As a national provider, all states can actually send samples in to LabCorp.
I
Interviewer1:32
We understand the turnaround time is three to four days. Will that speed up as you bring more machines or get this process speeding up a little bit more?
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Marcia Eisenberg1:44
The turnaround time is up to three to four days, and obviously we're reporting samples once they actually are tested.
I
Interviewer1:53
We have to go. One last question for you: just the cost. What can you...
M
Marcia Eisenberg2:11
You...
