Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health

Clinic is Closed

Health Violations

• No licensed physician or practitioner performing abortions
• Failed to maintain clean environment and sterile equipment to be used woman to woman. There were ceramic dolls, employee pictures, and a personal fan in the sterilization room. Clean items were stored with dirty items.
• The facility was administering medication that was prescribed to a staff member to patients. Federal law prohibits the transfer of a drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed. The nurse practitioner wrote the prescription for hydrocodone for a staff member and she had it filled to administer to the patients because it is “not economical for the facility to purchase the pills in bulk”.
• The facility failed to ensure that ultrasounds were performed by qualified personnel. Abdominal and transvaginal utrasounds were being performed by the counselor who holds no health/medical licenses, training, or certifications. The “counselor” was trained by the nurse practitioner to perform ultrasounds but the nurse practitioner was not credentialed to perform them and did not have delineated privileges in her job description to perform the ultrasounds. The physician was responsible for final interpretation of all ultrasounds, but he had not been involved in training or direct supervision of non-licensed staff performing the ultrasounds.
• The clinic failed to appoint the Nurse Practitioner for clinical privileges to practice at this facility since 1988 and did not maintain a list of delineated clinic privileges for the NP. Her response was “they knew me before I started working here so there was no need”.
• The facility failed to ensure the required medications were available on the emergency cart. The emergency cart did not contain Lidocaine, a required medication given for cardiac dysrhythmia.
• Narcotics medications were not stored securely in a locked cabinet. Other medications were opened and available for use but not labeled properly with date opened and expiration date.

2015-2018

• The hot water temperatures in both of the procedure rooms were too high which posed a safety risk to staff and patients using the faucet.
• The facility failed to gain approval from the Department of Health before alterations were made to the physical plant.
• The facility failed to ensure that freezer temperatures were measured where fetal remains were stored.
• The facility failed to maintain the fire alarm system.
• The facility had expired supplies available for patient use in the procedure rooms, lab and on the emergency cart.
• The facility failed to report an abortion to the state on the Induced Termination of Pregnancy form as required by state law.
• The facility failed to maintain a sanitary environment in the procedure rooms and the sterilization room. An uncovered bowl of Betadine solution was being used for multiple patients. Two mulitdose vials of Lidocaine were in the patient area being used for multiple patients. Once a multidose vial enters the patient area, it becomes a single use vial.
• Expired disposable rigid curettes were being used on patients to remove contents from the uterus.