State urges patients to seek 2nd opinions, alleging imaging facility posed ‘serious risk to human health’
The state of Illinois on Wednesday urged women to seek second opinions on their mammography screenings after a recent review found serious deficiencies at a local imaging provider.
Regulators’ concerns date to August 2020 when the Illinois Emergency Management Agency issued an order ceasing operations at Hoffman MRI pending accreditation from the American College of Radiology. A subsequent ACR review of clinical images found 16 of 30 cases did not meet its standards.
ACR said the facility’s practices posed a “serious risk to human health.” But despite the agency’s emergency order, the provider reportedly continued delivering breast imaging services.
“IEMA is issuing this public notice so that patients of this facility may take the appropriate actions to protect their health,” Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said in a statement issued July 28.
Hoffman MRI—located in Hoffman Estates and also previously using the names Hope Imaging and Hoffman Imaging and Medical Center—continued to operate under a new name and owner. IEMA conducted two inspections during the pandemic. In February, the agency could not verify the facility’s claims that it was complying with its orders. But during a second visit in the spring, IEMA discovered 100 patients were imaged between December 2020 and March 2021.
The agency issued a second emergency order in April, demanding that Hoffman MRI shut down until it receives ACR accreditation and IEMA certification. As of Wednesday, the order was still in place. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is also requiring the provider to notify patients, if they were imaged between October 2019 and March 2021.
Back in May, Omayr Niazi—a pharmacy technician previously identified as vice president of Hope Imaging—was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, forgery and wire fraud. He allegedly injected a female patient with contrast for a CT scan at Hope Imaging, but after the agent was administered, the patient had a negative reaction and later called the police. An investigation allegedly found that the 41-year-old VP was not trained or certified to perform CT scans and he had submitted false credentials and unauthorized reimbursement claims.
Hoffman MRI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from WGN TV or the Daily Herald newspaper.
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.