A radiology practice in Australia has been forced to shutter after “a number of” its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
I-MED Radiology did not disclose how many team members were infected at the clinic, located in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston. However, the imaging center is working closely with Health and Human Services to inform patients and staffers who interacted with the infected employees, and it is quarantining team members for two weeks before they return to work.
“As an essential healthcare service provider, I-MED Radiology is committed to maintaining our services to practitioners and patients during the current coronavirus pandemic,” the firm’s CEO and chief medical officer said in a joint statement provided to local media. “Our priority is also ensuring the safety of all patients and our clinical staff. To this end, we are following all guidelines issued by the Australian Department of Health for healthcare environments.”
I-MED added that the clinic will remain closed, until further notice, for sanitation and disinfection. Officials added, “given the current environment, an increasing number of healthcare workers will test positive to COVID-19 in the coming months.”
In a previous announcement, I-MED detailed other practice changes during the pandemic, including cleaning rooms daily, changing linens between procedures, and limiting waiting and exam rooms to just patients. They are, however, making an exception for partners during obstetrics exams, though small children are not allowed on the premise.
“Due to the length of the obstetric procedure, and the limited amount of space in the sonography rooms, partners may be asked to wait outside the clinic and be called in to see the baby images on screen in the last 10 minutes or so,” the firm wrote. “These measures are in place for the protection of both patients and staff.”
I-MED dubs itself as “Australia’s largest medical imaging network,” with numerous locations across the Land Down Under.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.