Alabama Department of Public Health
Alabama Emergency Response Technology (ALERT)
Health Alert Network (HAN)
December 16, 2024
Implementation of Expedited Partner Therapy in Alabama

Key Message:
Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) is now permissible in Alabama for all licensed private and public healthcare providers and pharmacists. Implementation of EPT must follow medication safety precautions, pharmacy safety guidelines, and health insurance payment regulations.

Key Facts: 
Many insurance companies currently do not cover EPT. Some states, including Alabama, do not permit a patient's insurance plan to be billed for EPT.

Medication safety issues and perceived legal obstacles are concerns for pharmacists providing medication without individual instructions on administration, interaction, and precautions.

A patient may be angry with the partner, and potential intimate partner violence may prevent a patient from delivering the medication to the partner.

ADPH Recommendations:

• Providers are required to obtain the full name and date of birth of the partner when EPT is necessary.
• Providers should provide a separate prescription for each partner, including E-Prescription because pharmacists and health insurance companies will not accept writing "EPT" on the index or the original patient's prescription form.
•  EPT is recommended for sex partners of men and women, including pregnant women, with laboratory diagnosis of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis.
• To ensure compliance, providers should use only single dose regimens for EPT. Azithromycin 1 gm PO in a single dose for chlamydia, Cefixime 800 mg PO in a single dose for gonorrhea, and Metronidazole 2 g or Tinidazole 2 g PO in a single dose for trichomoniasis.
• Providers should not offer EPT to sex partners of a patient diagnosed with syphilis or HIV infections.
• Patients less than 12 years old should not receive EPT services as there may be potential sexual abuse cases requiring investigation.
• Providers should not offer EPT to partners of patients treated presumptively with no positive laboratory results.
•  Healthcare providers should continue to follow the CDC 2021 Treatment Guidelines for single dose management of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis.

ADPH Support: 
All ADPH County Health Department clinics offer free EPT services.

ADPH clinics offer free testing and treatment of sex partners to prevent reinfection, especially, of the pregnant woman.

Contact ADPH for questions and additional information at Telephone: 334-206-5350 Email: std.info@adph.state.al.us

ADPH operates free, confidential STD clinics statewide. To find the closest clinic near you, contact your nearest county health department. Visit https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/about/locations.html