The HIV-1 Test System

FDA Approved - The only U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved HIV-1 test system.

Accurate - Clinically proven to be more than 99.9% accurate.

Anonymous - You are identified only by a code number that comes with your kit.

Help Line - Toll-free telephone support for test and result questions.

Timely - Your results are available 1 day after your sample has arrived at our laboratory (excluding weekends and holidays).

Easy A non-invasive, simple fingerstick sample is all that is needed

HIV-1 Test How it Works

Besides being fast, convenient and accurate.Our Home HIV-1 Test System is easy to use. Each test kit comes with a detailed instructions booklet with illustrations which will take you through pre-test registration and counseling; collecting a blood sample; shipping that sample to our accredited laboratory and calling back for test results, post-test counseling and referrals.

Throughout the testing process, professionally trained counselors are available to provide assistance and to answer your questions. To protect your privacy, you are identified only by your eleven-digit code number (which comes with the kit).

Purchase Your Home HIV-1 test kit
You can choose the best option for you. HIV home tests are available for purchase direct online, by fax or mail order, through nationwide retail pharmacies and drug stores or by calling 1 866-526-2873.

Code Number Registration and Pre-Test Counseling
You begin by calling a toll free number to register your anonymous Home Hiv Access code number and complete pre-test counseling, questions and demographic information. You can choose to speak to a HIV counselor or use our automated registration and education system. Our counselors are available to help you with any questions or personal concerns.

Sample Collection
Using the retractable safety lancet provided, you prick your fingertip and place drops of blood on the blood specimen card included in the test kit. You only need enough blood to fill a circle the size of a dime.

Shipping
Your blood sample is protected by an enclosed weather resistant protective pouch which is placed in a self-addressed, pre-paid FedEx® or U.S. Mail shipping envelope, all included in the test kit. Your sample is shipped directly to our accredited laboratory.

Laboratory Analysis
The laboratory is FDA approved, CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act) certified and CAP (College of American Pathologists) accredited. Our procedures and protocols have been certified by the United States Food and Drug Administration under cGMPs (Current Good Manufacturing Practices). At the laboratory, your blood sample is tested by experienced technicians using the exact same test ordered by doctors' offices, hospitals and clinics, ensuring greater than 99.9%accuracy.

When Results are Available
Results for the HIV-1 Test Kit should be available 7 business days (not including Sundays & Holidays) after ship date. Results for the HIV-1 test should be available next business day (not including weekends & holidays) after shipping. After receiving results by phone you may request a written copy of results by email or by U.S. Mail.

Post-Test Counseling
You access your test result and receive post-test counseling by once again entering your code number. Counselors are available to offer nationwide medical and social service referrals to people requiring further assistance. Counselors can search from more than 19,000 organizations included in the Health referral database to identify the most appropriate resource to meet your specific needs.

HIV-1 Test FAQ's

Q: What is AIDS?
A: AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a disease that limits the body's ability to fight infection. A person with AIDS has a very weak immune system, turning normally mild or rare diseases into potentially fatal conditions.

Q: What is HIV?
A: HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS.

Q: How can you tell if someone is infected with HIV?
A: Only with a blood test. A person can be HIV-infected for many years while looking and feeling healthy, with no signs at all of being sick.

Q: Who is most likely to become infected?
A: Anyone can become infected with HIV. HIV is transmitted sexually, through drug use by contaminated needles and during pregnancy from an infected mother to her unborn child. HIV can also be transmitted by breast feeding.

Q: How can I be exposed to HIV?
A: Unprotected sex with someone who is infected or sharing a needle or syringe with someone who is infected.

Q: What is unprotected sex?
A: Sex without a latex condom or other barrier methods. HIV is found in semen, vaginal fluids and blood. HIV can enter the body through any type of sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal and oral sex.

Q: What about doing drugs?
A: Injecting drugs using a needle that has been used by someone else is risky because it can contain infected blood from that person. Any drug use, including alcohol, affects judgment and can contribute to exposure to HIV infection.

Q: What are the ways to prevent or reduce exposure to HIV infection?
A: The best way to reduce risk is to always use a latex condom correctly for all sexual intercourse. Quitting is the best prevention if you are using injectable drugs. But if that isn't an option, then people should always use a sterile needle to inject drugs and never use somebody else's equipment.

Q: What about pregnancy?
A: A pregnant women can help prevent or dramatically reduce the chances of transmitting the virus to an unborn child through specifically prescribed drug treatments during pregnancy. As a measure of protection, it is especially important for pregnant women to be tested for HIV as soon as possible then, if necessary, seek assistance with a physician experienced in treating HIV/AIDS.

Q: What exactly is an HIV antibody test?
A: The human body makes antibodies to fight all kinds of infection. If you become infected with HIV, your body creates HIV antibodies. Just like doctors' offices and clinics, Home Access tests your blood for HIV antibodies.

Q: How soon do these antibodies show up?
A: In most infected people, the antibodies will show up in the blood within six weeks to 3 months. But in some people, it might take up to six months. This is important because the test cannot detect recent infections. For example, if you became infected in January, you may not test positive until June.

Q: What does a negative result mean?
A: It means that HIV-1 antibodies were not found by a laboratory in a particular blood sample.

Q: Can I test negative and still be infected?
A: Yes,because it takes some time for your body to produce HIV antibodies, there is a period of time when recent infections may not be detected.

Q: What does a positive result mean?
A: It means thatHIV-1 antibodies were found by the laboratory in a particular blood sample and the individual providing that sample is infected. That individual is capable of passing the virus to someone else.

Q: What does an indeterminate result mean?
A: It means a laboratory could not confirm the presence of HIV-1 antibodies in a particular blood sample. It could mean that an individual may be in the process of converting from being negative to being positive. It could also be due to other medical factors. In either case, it is recommended that the individual be re-tested.

Q: What does an insufficient result mean?
A: An insufficient result refers specifically to the HIV Test system. It means that HIV-1 antibody testing could not be performed on the blood sample that was sent to the laboratory. This happens most often because there was not enough blood to test. If you use Home Access HIV testing, make sure you follow all printed instructions regarding the collection of a blood sample.

Q: How accurate is the HIV-1 at-home test?
A: Home Access' HIV tests are doctor recommended and designed to provide you with a scientific test result that you can trust. Our HIV tests use the same tests run by doctors and hospitals and is clinically proven to be greater than 99.9% accurate. Data from our Phase III clinical trials have been published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol. 157, 2/10/97). You can request to receive a free reprint of this study.

Q. What does FDA approved mean?
A: Our entire service has been scientifically reviewed for safety and effectiveness by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA granted Health nationwide clearance to market its service on July 22, 1996. The Home Access at-home telemedicine HIV counseling and testing service is the ONLY such service available in the United States approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the past, FDA has warned consumers against purchasing or using any HIV testing service (especially over the internet) that has not been FDA approved.

Q: Why get tested for HIV?
A: Generally speaking, there are a number of reasons that prompt a person to take an HIV test. Whether it is: entering a new relationship, switching birth control, reassurance for a healthy pregnancy or concern you may have been exposed to HIV through unprotected sex--getting tested for HIV can help foster peace of mind, regardless of your test result. And, if you are concerned about testing positive for HIV, it is important to recognize that today more than ever before, there is new medical treatment that is helping thousands of people infected with HIV lead healthier, active lives.

Q: Is the HIV-1 test anonymous?
A: Yes. We guarantee that all test results are completely anonymous. Included in your test kit is a personal 11-digit code number. You are the only person who can share your code number or result with anyone else.

Q: How is my order packaged and shipped?
A: Orders placed through our website or call center are processed the next business day and shipped in either a plain brown or U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail box. The return address on the shipping label will say; HAHC Services, 2401 W. Hassell Road, Suite 1510, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169. All orders are shipped via U.S. Postal Service and should be received within 4-5 business days of mailing. Please call our Customer Service department at 866-526-2873 with questions regarding your order.

Q: How does it work?
A: It's easy. Just call in to register your anonymous Access Code Number. Then collect a blood spot sample by following the instructions included in your kit. (If you have questions, you can call our toll-free number for assistance.) Ship your sample back to our laboratory for processing and then call in to find out your test result. After shipping your blood sample, you call back on the same toll-free number after either three or seven days (depending on which kit you purchased).

Q: When can I get my results?
A: . If you purchase the HIV-1 test, your test results will be ready in about a week.

Q: How are results given?
A: You retrieve your results by calling our toll-free number included in your test kit. If you are transferred to a counselor, there is no reason to panic, this does not automatically mean that you have tested positive.

When results are sent via email they are sent in a Portable Document Format (PDF) attachment which includes your Home Access Code Number (HACN) and your result. The email is not sent in encrypted form and therefore your result, HACN and email address could be read by someone on the Internet. If you have concerns about these limitations please request your results via U.S. Mail.