The Maryland Department of Health issued a Saturday order requiring Advanced Pain Medicine Institute to cease all collection and processing of COVID-19 tests.

Secretary Robert R. Neall announced the ban after his department received a complaint about COVID-19 testing sites operated in coordination with APMI. An investigation found that AMPI did not have a required certification to perform tests and that some patients never received their test results.

“The Maryland Department of Health’s primary concern is the health and safety of Marylanders,” Neall said in a statement. “Until Advanced Pain Medicine Institute demonstrates that it is in full compliance with the Code of Maryland Regulations, it must cease all COVID-19 specimen collection and processing.”

Neall’s order requires the Advanced Pain Medicine Institute to inform every patient who received a test that their results may be false and provide the state with a list of every patient who received a COVID-19 test. The state also suspended APMI’s license to operate a medical laboratory and perform all laboratory testing.

APMI has offices in Greenbelt, but has conducted COVID-19 tests throughout the state, several including the following recent events: 

• June 6 at Church of Philippi, 7422 Race Rd., Hanover, MD 21076

• June 13 at Southern Baptist Church, 1701 North Chester St., Baltimore, MD 21213

• June 16 at Bilingual Christian Church, 6000 Erdman Ave., Baltimore, MD 21205

The state is working with local health departments to inform patients who were tested at those sites that their results may be inaccurate and that they should be retested. 

A list of major testing sites in the state can be found here.