A Massachusetts laboratory responsible for COVID-19 testing errors at several nursing homes could face fines of up to $10,000 per day for lab practices that jeopardized the safety of residents.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a letter to DNA-testing firm Orig3n Inc. in early October warning of the potential fines and that its license could be suspended or revoked if it didn’t address problems identified through a federal inspection, according to a weekend report by Bloomberg.
Two separate investigations also found that the company didn’t meet basic requirements for a virology lab, according to the report. Inspectors also said that the lab failed to document the sanitation of equipment used for coronavirus testing and implement control measures that would detect contaminated samples.
The firm’s COVID-19 testing was suspended by state health officials in early August after investigations found that it sent more than 300 flawed and incorrect test results to nursing facilities throughout the state.
Orig3n’s Chief Executive Officer Robin Smith said in a statement to the news agency that the company has “made significant efforts to evaluate, improve and validate our processes both internally and with assistance from external experts and third-party laboratories.”
“We’re committed to addressing any questions that CMS might have,” Smith added.
