San Diego County health officials severed ties with a local vaccine supplier after allegations that it dispensed COVID-19 injections to ineligible patients.
One Medical Group, a San Francisco-based member-based health care practice, has offices across the country, including here in San Diego County, and county officials said it was briefly allowed to distribute vaccines locally. But the county said that stopped when it discovered the group was acting as “ a facility for membership. ”
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“We learned [One Medical] worked as a payroll for membership and immediately reported them to the state, ”said a San Diego County Health and Human Services Department spokesman.
One Medical’s Chief Medical Officer has firmly denied any wrongdoing when it comes to the supplier’s vaccination efforts.
“Any claims that we are generally and knowingly ignoring the authorization guidelines are in direct contradiction to our actual approach to vaccine administration,” said a statement by Chief Medical Officer Andrew Diamond, MD, in part. “Recent media coverage of One Medical perpetuates dangerous public misconceptions about our COVID-19 vaccine protocols.”
An NPR study published Wednesday found that internal communications from One Medical employees raises questions about the national provider failing to closely monitor eligibility requirements for members seeking COVID-19 recordings through the website of the provider. NPR found that “patients disqualified from receiving the vaccine were still allowed to skip the line for other high-risk patients.” (NBC 7 Investigates has not independently reviewed internal communications reported by NPR.)
NBC Bay Area reports that the San Francisco Department of Public Health, along with a list of other state and local health departments, has stopped assigning vaccines to the health care practice after receiving individual complaints that the health care provider vaccinated unsuitable patients.
San Diego County officials told NBC 7 they had authorized One Medical to distribute vaccines here “ early ” in their vaccination efforts.
Officials said One Medical had requested 2,000 vaccines, but the county gave them only 900 doses. The county stressed that future officials will no longer assign vaccines to the health care provider.
San Diego County officials said they had reported One Medical to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for further investigation.
A Medical’s office in San Diego.
A doctor does not want to say how many of the 900 doses it has assigned have been distributed locally.
The healthcare provider’s chief medical officer has defended its actions, telling reporters that it did not “ knowingly vaccinate inappropriate patients. ”
“Patients don’t have to pay to get vaccinated at One Medical. As with COVID-19 testing, we have given patients access to the One Medical technology platform, with no membership fees, to provide fair access to vaccine appointments, ”said a statement. “We routinely dismiss people who do not meet the eligibility criteria.”
One Medical went on to say that according to their data, 96% of individuals vaccinated by One Medical in the US have the suitability documentation with the healthcare provider, and the remaining 4% “were generally vaccinated in accordance with zero-waste protocols. . ”
The spokesperson added that One Medical’s online platform requires patients to confirm their eligibility for vaccination, with ‘numerous checkpoints – online at the time of booking the appointment, prior to the appointment via a labor-intensive’ schedule scanning process, and person verification at the point of concern if necessary – to reduce abuse of our vaccine booking system. ”
(Click here to read One Medical’s full statement to NBC 7 Investigates.)
According to the One Medical website, the healthcare provider is “no ordinary doctor’s office” and offers patients a first-line subscription for $ 199 per year. Subscribers receive care 24 hours a day through on-demand services, the website reads. Patients who do not want to pay the dues can also sign up for free services offered by the provider.
But when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, the provider said membership is not a requirement.
“The majority of individuals vaccinated by One Medical in the US are not our own annual dues paying members, but have been referred by health departments, including health professionals, nursing home patients, educators and the homeless,” said Diamond.
When users try to sign up for vaccination appointments in San Diego, One Medical’s website now states that appointments “are not available right now … We are working with local health officials to get additional vaccines as soon as possible.”
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Internal reports published by NPR, found within the walls of One Medical, have alarmed employees for months about enforcing admission requirements for patients seeking vaccines.
NPR reported that that communication also included a One Medical employee who wrote, “I have questions about our approach that are not required [patients] to provide proof that you qualify for the vaccine … A quick Google search indicates that this is not in line with many states’ requirements. I am concerned about advertising too tolerant an approach. “
One Medical has disputed several elements of the NPR’s reporting, telling the company that it has since “fired several members of its clinical staff for failing to meet eligibility requirements.”
Despite reporting, Diamond told NBC 7 that the provider is still committed to the community it serves.
“While this kind of reporting is daunting for our team members who have worked tirelessly nights and weekends to address the complexities and challenges of vaccine rollout, we remain committed to our communities and hope this report will enhance our ability to continue to do essential work, ”reads a statement.
But another state discovered problems with One Medical and also stopped assigning vaccines to the supplier for distribution.
The Washington State Department of Health told NPR that it had received a complaint about One Medical on Feb. 10 and “stopped distributing COVID-19 vaccines to the company.”
Back in California, San Mateo and Alameda counties also confirmed with NBC Bay Area on Thursday that they will no longer assign vaccines to the supplier. San Mateo County health officials said the move was the result of a complaint it had received. Alameda County officials said they stopped assigning vaccines to One Medical “after learning that the practice planned to vaccinate more than their health workers.”
In Los Angeles County, public health officials have confirmed to NBC 7 that they are continuing to work with One Medical and have assigned more than 5,800 doses to the company to date.
LA officials said they too had received a complaint about One Medical and issued a warning to the health care provider in response.
“We received a report in late January that they had vaccinated someone who was not a health worker, and public health followed them up and let them explain their process,” a Los Angeles County statement read. “Public health has made it clear that they must validate that the people they vaccinate are HCW or the 65+ on site at the time of the appointment, otherwise we will not be able to assign them more doses. We have not received any further complaints. ”
The California Department of Public Health did not respond to requests for comment on ongoing investigations.
A spokesman for the state medical board confirmed One Medical Group, and its Chief Medical Officer Andrew Diamond, has not been subject to any state disciplinary action, according to a record of licensing history dating back to 2004.
Diamond told NBC 7 that he has not been contacted by any state or local health department regarding complaints or active investigations.
“We have not been informed by our department of health partners that investigations are ongoing or ongoing,” Diamond told NBC 7 on Friday. “As with other major health care providers, it is common for a health service to inquire about any concerns they report. . This is in no way unique or specific to One Medical. “
For more information on vaccination efforts in San Diego County, including how eligible patients can book an appointment, click here for the province’s website.