Expedited Partner Therapy - NYC Health

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By Disease or Condition

Immunizations

Alcohol and Drug Use

Smoking and Tobacco Use

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Infectious Diseases

Health Care-Associated Infections

Children and Adolescents

Immigrant Health


Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)

A Strategy to Treat Sex Partners for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) allows health care providers to give extra medicine or prescriptions to a patient to give to their sex partners as treatment for a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It lets those partners be treated without seeing a health care provider first. This clinical strategy helps prevent repeat infection in the original patient and also ensure the partners who may be infected are treated right away.

Currently, New York State permits EPT for STIs for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends its use. Those infections are chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis.

When using EPT, health care providers must:

Give the patient EPT educational materials to give to their sex partners (see below).

Advise the patient to encourage their partners to read the materials before taking the medicine.

If you have any questions about EPT, email ept@health.nyc.gov.

If you are a patient or partner and would like to report an adverse reaction after taking EPT, call 311.

If you are a health care provider and would like to report an adverse reaction in a patient related to EPT, call 311 or the Provider Access Line at 866-NYC-DOH1 (866-692-3641).

EPT Educational Materials

EPT educational materials can be accessed below and are available to order by calling 311. Materials include guidance for patients and partners for specific medicines and infections. Materials are available in multiple languages.

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EPT: Guidance For Patients

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Chlamydia: A Guide for Patients Who Received Azithromycin for Their Partner(s) (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Chlamydia: A Guide for Patients Who Received Doxycycline for Their Partner(s) (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Gonorrhea: A Guide for Patients Who Received Cefixime for Their Partner(s) (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Trichomoniasis: A Guide for Patients Who Received Metronidazole for Their Partner(s) (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

EPT: Guidance For Partners

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Chlamydia: A Guide for Partners Who Received Azithromycin (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Chlamydia: A Guide for Partners Who Received Doxycycline (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Gonorrhea: A Guide for Partners Who Received Cefixime (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for Trichomoniasis: A Guide for Partners Who Received Metronidazole (PDF)

Other Languages: Español |
Русский |
繁體中文 |
简体中文 |
Kreyòl ayisyen |
Français

Electronic Prescribing Requirement Waived for EPT

The New York State Department of Health lists EPT as an exception to the electronic prescribing mandate (PDF). Health care providers can continue to use paper prescriptions for the treatment of sex partners of patients diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. Providers can order paper prescriptions from the New York State Department of Health. Blanket waiver of the electronic mandate is reviewed and updated annually.

Publications

Slutsker JS, Tsang LB, Schillinger JA. Do prescriptions for expedited partner therapy get filled for Chlamydia? Findings from a multi-jurisdictional evaluation. United States, 2017-2019. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2020:47(6):376-382.

Nemeth SV, Schillinger, JA. Overcoming the Challenges of Studying Expedited Partner Therapy in the Real World. Sexually Transmitted Diseases;2019;46(10):693-696.

Additional Resources

CDC: Expedited Partner Therapy

CDC: Expedited Partner Therapy in the Management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

CDC: Guidance on the Use of Expedited Partner Therapy in the Treatment of Gonorrhea

CDC: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 – Expedited Partner Therapy

New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute: Questions, Answers, and Best Practices for Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)

New York State Department of Health: Expedited Partner Therapy

New York State Department of Health: Expedited Partner Therapy: A Summary for Health Care Providers (PDF, 2022)

New York State Department of Health: Exceptions to the Electronic Prescribing Mandate (PDF, 2024)

New York State Department of Health: Expedited Partner Therapy Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Providers and Pharmacists (PDF, 2021)

New York State Department of Health: Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) used to treat persons exposed to chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis (PDF, 2021)

More Information

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Chlamydia

Gonorrhea

Trichomoniasis

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Reporting Central

Sexual Health Clinics