Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1551561.015 - Fast Pace Medical Clinic, Pllc

Inspection Information - Office: Tennessee Osha Gray Office - Health

Investigation Summary

An employee was working as a patient care specialist at a freestanding ambulatory surgical and emergency center. Her main job duties involved front desk and administrative tasks. Typical job duties entailed greeting patient as they came into the clinic, obtaining information from patients so that they could be registered, gathering insurance filing and copayment information, and facilitating the check-in and check-out process. All the firm's urgent care clinics performed onsite COVID testing. This clinic was no exception; it tested patients for COVID-19 and treated those who were positive. All the employees were required to comply with OSHA guidelines about wearing masks and staying protected. For some reason, the employee contracted COVID-19 and became ill. She was admitted to the hospital for treatment on August 26, 2021. On Friday, September 3, 2021, she died. The employer was informed of the fatality that same day. A representative of the employer emailed a state CSHO at 1:04 p.m. on September 6, 2021, to report the fatality. TOSHA determined this fatality to be work related. The employee's next of kin (NOK) was contacted and interviewed. The next of kin explained that he or she was unaware of any exposure to COVID-19 in the home or in the employee's daily activities, other than while the employee was at work. The employer's regional director of operations and clinic coordinator explained that the employee had contact with patients who came into the facility to receive a COVID-19 test and may have been symptomatic for COVID-19 when they arrived. The employer was aware of the employee's close contact exposure to patients with COVID-19. In multiple instances, the employer failed to prevent the employee from being exposed to COVID-19. Around the time of this incident, another of the firm's employees, who also worked as a nurse, tested positive for COVID-19.

Keywords: Infectious Disease