Baltimore, Maryland -
Less than a month after Maryland General Hospital admitted that sloppy lab work may have resulted in 400 patients being given incorrect HIV test results the hospital now has been forced to acknowledge the actual number is more than 2,000.
The latest revelation came after a state audit of the hospital showed its lab was "rife with equipment failures" and other serious deficiencies.
The hospital says it will notify 2,100 patients that they need to be retested for HIV and hepatitis C. But of the original 460 cases, the hospital has been able to track down only 280 patients.
Last month the hospital issued an urgent appeal for anyone tested for HIV at the facility during a 14 month period that ended last August to get in touch with the hospital and be retested. (story)
Some patients might have been told they were HIV-negative when in fact they were positive, and vice versa, said Nelson J. Sabatini, secretary of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The situation only came to light after a former hospital employee filed a complaint with state health officials and an investigation showed that the hospital's laboratory personnel overrode controls in the testing equipment. Even though the equipment indicated there could be an error in the results the lab workers mailed them to patients anyway.
The state ordered a full investigation which turned up the additional cases. One state worker said it is impossible to tell how many "walking time-bombs" may be spreading HIV without knowing it.
Investigators from the state, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations found that the lab was poorly run and that hospital management did not know how serious the situation in the lab was.
"Quite frankly, I'm very disturbed," said Maryland Health Secretary Nelson Sabatini. "It shows pervasive problems."
The hospital has been ordered to fix the lab equipment and take other measures to ensure safety or face fines of up to $10,000 a day.
"This type of performance is unacceptable," hospital spokesman Lee Kennedy said in a statement. "For the past three weeks, we have been working virtually round the clock to ensure that Maryland General's laboratory operations going forward are sound and operating in accordance with all appropriate regulations."
Anyone who received either an HIV or hepatitis test at Maryland General between June 2002 and August 2003 should contact the hospital immediately.
©365Gay.com® 2004
The latest revelation came after a state audit of the hospital showed its lab was "rife with equipment failures" and other serious deficiencies.
The hospital says it will notify 2,100 patients that they need to be retested for HIV and hepatitis C. But of the original 460 cases, the hospital has been able to track down only 280 patients.
Last month the hospital issued an urgent appeal for anyone tested for HIV at the facility during a 14 month period that ended last August to get in touch with the hospital and be retested. (story)
Some patients might have been told they were HIV-negative when in fact they were positive, and vice versa, said Nelson J. Sabatini, secretary of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The situation only came to light after a former hospital employee filed a complaint with state health officials and an investigation showed that the hospital's laboratory personnel overrode controls in the testing equipment. Even though the equipment indicated there could be an error in the results the lab workers mailed them to patients anyway.
The state ordered a full investigation which turned up the additional cases. One state worker said it is impossible to tell how many "walking time-bombs" may be spreading HIV without knowing it.
Investigators from the state, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations found that the lab was poorly run and that hospital management did not know how serious the situation in the lab was.
"Quite frankly, I'm very disturbed," said Maryland Health Secretary Nelson Sabatini. "It shows pervasive problems."
The hospital has been ordered to fix the lab equipment and take other measures to ensure safety or face fines of up to $10,000 a day.
"This type of performance is unacceptable," hospital spokesman Lee Kennedy said in a statement. "For the past three weeks, we have been working virtually round the clock to ensure that Maryland General's laboratory operations going forward are sound and operating in accordance with all appropriate regulations."
Anyone who received either an HIV or hepatitis test at Maryland General between June 2002 and August 2003 should contact the hospital immediately.
©365Gay.com® 2004
This article originally appeared on 365gay.com. Republished with permission.
