A company that operates more than 300 Covid-19 pop-up testing sites across the country is being investigated in several states and a federal agency over dozens of consumer complaints ranging from late test results to concerns that no Not being tested. ,
The Illinois-based Center for COVID Control was founded in December 2020 by Elia Ciaz, 29, whose past experience includes starting an ax throwing lounge and a donut shop, according to state business records and her LinkedIn page.
In recent weeks, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Illinois Attorney General launched civil investigations into the firm. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have issued cease-and-desist letters to the company, and local regulators in Washington and California have closed several of its sites for unlicensed operations.
An inspection by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid also closed several sites operating without a license in Massachusetts.
“We take seriously any allegations of fraud or abuse by COVID-19 testing sites,” said Dr. Lee Fleischer said.
“CMS is actively investigating a number of complaints about multiple laboratories and testing sites linked to this private company.”
The Center for COVID Control on Thursday announced that it has halted operations for a week and plans to reopen on January 22.
In a statement posted on its website, the company said, “Due to our rapid growth and unprecedented recent demand for testing, we have not been able to meet all of our commitments.” It said it would use the pause “to train additional staff in sample collection and handling, to refocus on customer service and communication practices, and to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines”.
The company noted that it recently increased its test volume tenfold, to 80,000 tests a day, and that a major factor in its “current customer service challenges” was Omicron’s accelerated spread among its 3,000 frontline staff members.
An internal memo, received earlier by USA TODAY, also cited an “increased investigation by the media into the operation of our collection sites” over the past week, resulting, along with consumer complaints, “from various state health departments and even [the Oregon] The Justice Department is taking a keen interest in our company.”
In response to a request for comment by NBC News, a spokeswoman for the center, Russ Keene, said the company is “in the middle of bringing on new talent and an ethics officer.”
After receiving a trial at one of the company’s Oregon sites in September, Kelly Fischer contacted the state attorney general, saying she was concerned that she had been a “scam victim” because the site was “too messy.” feeling” and was not listed. State page for COVID testing resources.
She said they asked her to provide a photo of her driver’s license and insurance information and did not deliver results in the promised time frame. The state attorney general received 10 similar complaints against the company in this week alone.
“I was convinced that any organization engaged in this operation was doing so in good faith,” Fisher said in an interview with NBC News. “Since then, I’ve only tested in my medical provider’s office.”
The Center for COVID Control is one of several testing companies that have conducted tests with local and state agencies.
With the demand for COVID-19 testing at unprecedented levels due to the spread of the Omicron variant, officials have warned of unlicensedness and scams. Pop-up Testing Sites, Legislators and attorneys general in several states, including California, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, have said they will examine and introduce regulatory bills overseeing these actions.
In New York alone, the attorney general has already filed 179 complaints and launched an investigation. companies that charge for testing, sent letter direction To stop promising others time and continue misleading results consumer guidance How to spot scam testing sites.
The rise in unlicensed pop-up testing sites is the latest example of the COVID-19 related fraud that regulators have struggled to tackle throughout the pandemic. The Federal Trade Commission has received more than 650,000 reports of fraud, identity theft and other scams related to COVID-19, costing Americans more than $636 million.
collecting samples
Grows to over 300 sites and 3,000 employees in just one year, according to the Center for COVID Control on its website, It describes itself as one of the largest national providers of COVID-19 testing and one of the first to offer walk-up testing.
Consumers have filed complaints against the company with attorney general offices in at least three states. The Better Business Bureau, which has given the company an “F” rating, said it has sent eight unanswered complaints to the company.
Complaints made through the BBB “ranged from not receiving test results to not receiving a refund after paying for the test,” said spokeswoman Sandra Guill.
According to a person close to the company, the Center for Covid Control is run by Aliya Siaz and her husband Ali Syed. The person described the center as “a marketing and management company collecting samples.”
“This is a young entrepreneur husband and wife with investors and partners,” said the person. “He identified the need of the market and took advantage of it.”
The center’s website states that it is “partnered with a CDC approved and licensed laboratory that is registered with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA).”
That lab, called the Doctor’s Clinical Laboratory, comes up in the CDC’s certified lab search at two addresses, one of which is a Rolling Meadows, Illinois address listed for the Center for COVID Control’s business registration. As per business records, the laboratory is functioning since 2001.
Called on phone number listed at Doctors Clinical Lab on Thursday Website An outgoing message went through, which read, “Thank you for calling the Center for COVID Control.”
But a spokesman for the Center for COVID Control said there is “no cross-ownership or Coventry business affiliation between the two entities.”
A spokesperson for CMS, which oversees the laboratory certification process, said the agency is investigating Doctors Clinical Lab. It has “identified non-compliance and is awaiting a response from the laboratory for the deficiencies cited.”
State and federal agencies have warned consumers about test providers not listed on government-run or affiliated websites, saying that some pop-up sites can steal personal information and money.
Consumers should be wary of sites that ask for a lot of personal information, such as Social Security and credit card numbers. They cannot give any test result or false negative result.