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 are 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.

Electronic Prescribing Requirement Waived for Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)

The New York State Department of Health lists expedited partner therapy 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