Saliva tests are now available for drug testing at the Salem Health Pain Management Clinic – Boulder Creek. This is a new choice instead of blood or urine tests for patients who would prefer that.

Tish Gross is the outreach supervisor for lab and imaging. She said Paul Coelho, MD — a doctor at the pain management clinic — first proposed this to the lab in 2024.

“Our own reference lab didn’t offer it originally,” Gross said. “Most providers do urine testing but what if patients couldn’t provide that? Some said they just couldn’t go to the bathroom, they could be sick, they could be on medications that impact urination.”

This is helpful for patients who have trouble going to the bathroom or have kidney problems.

Starting last summer, Salem Health began working with an outside lab called Millennium Health to offer this new option.

“It’s just so simple. It’s a swab done in the clinic office inside your cheek and it’s sent off to this reference lab and the results come back to us in Epic [Salem Health's electronic medical record system],” Gross said.

This test can check for drugs like opioids, cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, amphetamines and fentanyl.

“The advantages of this test would be convenience,” Gross said. “There’s no restroom needed. The specimen collection is observed, mitigating tampering.”

After collection, the medical assistant puts the test into a sealed package that goes off to the reference lab.

“Just overall, the way this test is collected can be more appeasing to staff and patients. It’s helpful for patients who are unable to provide a urine sample,” Gross said.

“For the physician, medication monitoring and drug detection services from Millennium Health ensure that they can choose tests individually, based on medical necessity, rather than being obligated to use a one-size-fits-all approach,” Gross said. 

The billing process for the saliva test is the same as any other drug testing option. Results come back in about a week.

“We verified the test and the billing behind the scenes,” Gross said. “We did our due diligence and the pros and cons with the provider, presented it to the lab council. It’s available for ordering now for any clinic.”