Before people actually invest in a paternity test they want a first step.  Maybe something that can give them a hint as to whether this is necessary in the first place.  We have something that will work for just this situation.  Our Eye Color Paternity Test will allow you to enter the eye color of the Biological Mother, Alleged Father, and Child to see if a match is possible.  While this step does not replace a DNA Test, it can give some information on the likelihood of a possible inclusion or exclusion.

I hope that this is helpful to people.  Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

If you have recently visited the website you have seen the new intro featuring yours truly.  We wanted to let everyone know that I am here to help whenever necessary.  It will only show up the first time you visit the website.

Also, IDENTIGENE was recently featured on the NEWSWEEK.com blog.  You can view this article on their website at: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/archive/2008/10/25/over-the-counter-paternity-tests.aspx

We are getting closer with the new fact sheets.  Also, while out surfing the web keep your eyes peeled for our new banner information advertising the eye color paternity test.  If you see it out there leave a comment here to say where you found it.

So much is changing around here, but we our continued desire to offer an inexpensive, fast, and reliable DNA Paternity Test has not.  If you have any concerns or questions regarding your testing please feel free to contact me.

There are a couple of more reports of IDENTIGENE in regional news.  I am excited to see the word starting to spread about our company and the good that it is doing for many people.  By the way if you would like to share your DNA Paternity Test story please feel free to email me or call.

Also, I have been finding many blogs out there about our test or paternity testing in general.  Hopefully, my comments have been helpful and insightful.  Many people writing these blogs have not dealt with paternity tests before, and they seem to have a lot of preconceived ideas on the subject.

My goal is to be helpful.  Really, its that simple.  If there are more ways I can be helpful to you my readers please let me know.

Arkansas News Affiliate KARK covers release:

http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/?cid=131801

South Dakota News Affiliate KDLT’s coverage

http://www.kdlt.com/news/1021n1.html

kstyer@identigene.com

With the official launch in Walgreens IDENTIGENE is getting some great press.  You should check out some of the stories.  I will link to them at the end.  If you feel comfortable feel free to comment on the stories and your thoughts.  If you find other stories out there feel free to throw them on the comments for others to check out.

Also, coming soon: DNA Testing Fact Sheets.  I have been working on a few different topics to develop information you can share with whomever you think may need it.  After reading through all these news articles and comments I have realized there a lot of misconceptions about Paternity Testing and hopefully together we can put those to rest.

WTSP is the CBS affiliate in Tampa Bay, Florida. Link includes video and entertaining comment board.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=92578&catid=8

WCBD-TV is the NBC affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina.  Link includes video and article.  I have not been able to get the video link to work.  If anyone does, let me know what you did.  Thanks.

http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/over_the_counter_dna_paternity_tests_on_store_shelves/15837/

KCCI-TV is a CBS affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa.  There is a video here as well.

http://www.kcci.com/news/17764611/detail.html

These are the news stories I have found thus far today.  Seriously, if you catch anything else on your local news or just while you are surfing let me know.  I would love to check it out.  Thanks.

We have worked very hard to be available to as many people who need paternity tests as possible.  Our addition of Walgreens as a retail distributor has given us our biggest reach yet.  Walgreens has thousands of stores and will be selling our DNA Paternity Test kit in 48 states.

So, when you are considering your options to purchase a DNA Paternity Test think about your local Walgreens and IDENTIGENE.  You can find more information on this exciting news on our website at:

http://www.dnatesting.com/about/dna-testing-news.php?A=54

Also, did you see our ad in your Sunday Paper?  If you haven’t thrown it away or better recycled it, check it out with the rest of the Sunday inserts.

Any questions about paternity tests or DNA feel free to email me at: kstyer@identigene.com or you can call me 801-462-1465.

I told you there were many changes coming to the website.  Yesterday, we launched the new home page which looks pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself.  Also, this morning we updated our DNA Community page.  Not much has changed but now you can put a face to the name Kate.  It isn’t exactly my face, but the cartoon version is definately interesting to say the least.

I hope you like it or at least enjoy it.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.  I am really looking forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.

There are a few questions that come up about who pays for the paternity test or any other DNA test.  Some are fairly common and some are a little more obscure. Here are just a few.

Can I use my checking account to pay for the test?

Currently, we do accept credit/debit cards for payment or a money order.  We cannot process a check over the phone and we do not currently accept personal checks mailed with your DNA samples.

Will my insurance company pay for the testing?

Simplest answer for this question would be to ask your insurance company.  I have never heard of a health insurance company paying for this type of testing.  If they do it will likely be through a reimbursement program.

Can I use my flex spending account to pay for this testing?

My experience has been, no you cannot.  I have processed a few payments for customers that continually declined.  When I asked about the card the customers have mentioned it was a flex spending account.  When I researched our companies flex account DNA testing of any kind is not covered.  I would imagine it would be the same for any company.

If the results come back negative do I get my money back?

This question is often asked by the alleged father in a case.  Can anyone guess the answer?  No, we do not refund the money of your test if you are not the father.  If you would like to try and get the biological mother to pay you back for it that is something between you and her, IDENTIGENE will kindly stay out of that dispute.

As a government employee can I get them to pay for the DNA Test?

I honestly don’t know the answer to this question, but my guess is no.

These are a couple of most common payment questions we receive.  If you have a question that was not addressed here feel free to add it to our forum: http://www.dnatesting.com/dna-testing-forum or leave a comment on this blog.  Have a nice day!

Answering phones for IDENTIGENE I have heard many stories and clarified many misconceptions about DNA and what it can actually test for.  The following is a clip that gives just one example of these types of misconceptions (although I have never talked to anyone who was THIS confused):

The “Real” Meaning of DNA Test

Some of the confusion comes from misinformation due to media.  My favorite is the idea that DNA testing can be done in less than twenty-four hours like on our favorite crime shows.  I am sure that some testing can be performed quickly and results be returned in these time frames, but this is not inexpensive and not paternity testing. We work quickly and efficiently to ensure your results are available to you as soon as possible.

There are many other things that people simply may not know about DNA testing.  Over the next week we are going to start posting more information about DNA and DNA testing on our website.  We will also be putting up fact sheets about Legal DNA Paternity Testing and how to test without the father.  Look for this info soon, and feel free to email me with any additional questions or other info you would like to see on our site.  kstyer@identigene.com

Recently, Perez Hilton blogged about Michael Lohan purchasing a DNA Paternity Test from Walgreens.  If you have not heard already, IDENTIGENE began nationwide sales of paternity tests at Walgreens.  I was a little surprised to hear of this purchase and honestly thought it was just a rumor.

But no Michael Lohan was on a morning radio show on WBLI in Long Island recently.  You can hear the entire interview on their website.  To sum it all up, he purchased the kit to proove paternity for an alleged twelve year old child.  Its unclear if samples have ever been sent in, but its certainly interesting to know that even celebrities deal with these types of issues and hopefully find some peace of mind through DNA Paternity Testing.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.  If you want more information on the kit Michael Lohan purchased from Walgreens please visit the retail section of our website.  There are many great changes coming to DNAtesting.com.  I look forward to sharing these with you as they occur.  In the meantime, feel free to contact me with all of your DNA Paternity Testing questions, concerns, or commentary.

At IDENTIGENE we take our customers’ privacy very seriously.  To some people it may seem that we may do this to the point of excess.  Most people do not require many aspects of our protection.  But the problem is we cannot pick and choose who needs a case password or who we can speak to based on one participant’s word over the phone or via email.  There have been many cases where someone, whether a participant or no, wanted information that was not theirs to ask for.

An recent example of what I am speaking of.   I answer all email sent through our online form.  I received an email from a gentleman who wanted more information about the status of his case.  I advised him I would have to first verify his case password.  He replied with his password.  However, when the reply came the header showed a different name, and this name was not listed on the case as a participant.

Our policies state that we cannot give any case information to anyone not listed on the case.  Because, I could not truly verify this gentleman’s identity I was not able to provide him with any case information.  I advised him that he is more than welcome to contact our client support group for more information.  Looking at this from his perspective I can see how this may be frustrating and inconvenient.

However, it is my job to look at this from all perspectives.  While the individual emailing could provide the password I could not verify that they had the right to any information pertaining to this case.  The biological mother in this case, who was tested, has the right to have her and her child’s privacy protected.

My concern in this particular case was that the alleged father’s significant other had located the password and thought that by emailing I would give her case info or even results.  So, for those who would like to email for case status.  Please be advised that if you want information about your case you will need to use your own email address and not that of a friend or significant other.

I hope that everyone reading this can understand our perspective.  Paternity Tests and the results that are produced from them are senstive to those being tested.  We must do everything we can to protect every person in these cases even if they do not want our protection.  I apologize if it makes anything inconvenient for anyone being tested, but to me it beats the alternative.