MU Health Care investigating where about 100 ‘unaccounted for’ COVID-19 tests went
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
MU Health Care said it and a testing lab are investigating after about 100 people's tests for COVID-19 were apparently misplaced.
MU Health Care spokeswoman Jesslyn Chew said the agency and GeneTrait Labs were looking into about 100 tests that are "unaccounted for." Chew said she did not know the date range of tests done that are unaccounted for, but said it involved tests done in the last few days.
"We are investigating this issue in collaboration with our testing partner and are in the process of making contact with patients affected by this incident," Chew said.
A viewer named Krystal told ABC 17 News that she was one of the people affected by the missing tests. She shared her story on condition her last name be left out in order to talk about health care issues.
Krystal said she got a test on Monday through MU Health Care's drive through site near the Hearnes Center after showing some symptoms for COVID-19. The next she heard from MU Health Care about the test was Thursday, when a nurse told her that her test had been "misplaced." The nurse told her that she could get another test done at MU's new testing location at Mizzou North, and that her insurance would not be charged for the second test.
"You go there, you're entrusting them to get these results back to you that are so important in your life right now with everything going on, and then you get a call that, 'Oops, we lost your test,'" Krystal said. "And it's just like, why? How did this happen?"
The wait, Krystal said, has brought on stress and a loss of wages.
"Due to my company policy, I cannot return to work without a negative test result," Krystal said. "So I have been without work all week."
MU Health Care has done more than 28,000 tests for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to its website. The health care provider reported giving at least 1,677 tests since Monday. One hundred tests would account for about 6 percent of tests done in that time.
GeneTrait Labs, which analyzes people's COVID-19 tests, did not return a late request seeking comment on Thursday night.
Krystal said MU Health Care offered to put a priority on her Thursday test because of her wait, but did not guarantee that results would come back within a day.
