Maryland’s Department of Health said Saturday that it shut down coronavirus testing at Advanced Pain Medicine Institute (APMI) locations due to the laboratory’s lack of certification and patients’ being unable to get their test results.
Robert R. Neall, secretary for the state’s health department, issued an order for APMI to end all collection and processing of COVID-19 specimens immediately.
“The Maryland Department of Health’s primary concern is the health and safety of Marylanders,” Neall said.
“Until Advanced Pain Medicine Institute demonstrates that it is in full compliance with the Code of Maryland Regulations, it must cease all COVID-19 specimen collection and processing.”
According to a news release, the order requires the lab to notify its patients that their test results may be erroneous.
APMI was also required to provide a complete accounting of all individuals that its lab tested to the health department.
On top of the health department’s order, the Office of Health Care Quality suspended APMI’s license to operate as a medical laboratory and perform all testing.
The order was in response to a complaint the health department received about testing sites operated in coordination with APMI.
The lab performed coronavirus testing at multiple events in Maryland over the past month, including:
• June 6 at Church of Philippi, 7422 Race Rd., Hanover
• June 13 at Southern Baptist Church, 1701 North Chester St., Baltimore
• June 16 at Bilingual Christian Church, 6000 Erdman Ave., Baltimore
Patients who may have been tested by APMI are encouraged to consider getting another test and, if symptomatic, seek medical attention, the release said.
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