DuPage Co. Cut Off Vax Supply To Firm Accused of Misusing Doses

CHICAGO — DuPage County public health officials cut off vaccine distribution to Innovative Express Care — the same health care firm accused of misallocating 6,000 vaccine doses meant for Chicago Public School workers, Patch has learned.

On March 12, the DuPage County Health Department suspended distribution of vaccines to the urgent care group founded by former Northwestern Medicine Dr. Rahul Khare, spokeswoman Stephanie Calvillo said.

"Vaccine provider agreements are between the Illinois Department of Public Health and the provider. We are working with IDPH to address the situation," she said in an emailed statement.

Cavillo declined to provide information about why the county health department decided to stop delivering shots to Innovative Express Care. State public health officials and Khare did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the county's decision to suspend vaccine dose deliveries to Innovative Express Care.

The Chicago Public Health Department on Tuesday canceled its contract with Innovative Express Care to vaccinate public school employees.

The $5 million deal also gave the health care firm the ability to bill insurance companies for administering shots

The $5 million fee from the city is "an administrative charge payable to [Innovative Express Care] and shall not cover the actual vaccine administration to patients. … [Innovative Express Care] shall have the right to bill each patient's third-party health insurance for vaccine administration reimbursable by commercial insurers," according to the 40-page deal published online. Innovative Express Care agreed not to charge patients "directly for copays or other out-of-pocket amounts," according to the contract.

In a video statement responding to the city's decision to revoke Innovative Express Care's contract posted on Facebook, Khare said "we feel like we have done nothing wrong."

"We strongly disagree with the allegations made by the Chicago Department of Public Health stating a misallocation of vaccines intended for CPS staff. We proudly operated four CPS vaccination sites. As of last week, every CPS staff member had been given an opportunity to be vaccinated due to our capacity to effectively operate a vaccine distribution effort. ... All vaccine doses that were not used by CPS at the end of each week went to another eligible patient for their first dose," according to a statement on the company's website.

Innovative Express Care officials said the city didn't make it clear that they "should be storing vaccines in a refrigerator for people awaiting second doses.

"Rather, we have been following the nation's commitment to get as many vaccines in eligible patients' arms, as quickly as possible. Our mission involved vaccinating as many eligible patients as quickly as possible, and not at the whims of the city official's latest political crisis," company officials said in a statement.

The contract with the city and CPS states: "excess vaccines … that cannot be refrigerated for future use may be provided to any other CPS employee," and "only thaw and open the number of vaccines needed to cover appointments each day to minimize the possibility of having excess vaccinations."

Under the leadership of Khare, 46, Innovative Express Care, has been tagged as "opportunistic" for profiting on the pandemic and being one of the only private practices in Chicago with access to COVID-19 vaccine doses, Crain's Chicago Business reported in February.

Khare's urgent care practice also operates "VIP" testing services through a website called "COVID of Chicago" that offers "self-pay only" coronavirus PCR tests with same-day results for $375.
Innovative Express Care also advertises "strike teams" and partnerships with private businesses to vaccinate employees on its website.

Chicago officials are investigating whether Innovative Express Care used vaccines earmarked for CPS to vaccinate other paying customers, sources said.

Khare did not respond to emailed questions about whether doses earmarked for CPS were used to vaccinate other clients.