An In-Depth Look at Nomi Health’s COVID-19 Response Efforts

December 2022 Update: We at Nomi Health will continue to legally challenge the false implications presented by USA Today journalists which cast Nomi in a negative light. In December 2022, we learned that USA Today would be pulling down elements of their most recent story Nomi was covered in. We’ll continue to fight for what’s right and remain committed to increasing access to reliable testing, particularly in underserved and uninsured communities, to curb the spread of COVID-19 and keep states open for business.

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What we learned from more than two years on the front lines of COVID response in America is that when you dare to do things differently to improve healthcare, you will earn naysayers and critics. These detractors use platforms such as the press to sow mistrust in order to further their own agendas. They have been proven wrong at every turn. Their efforts have been unsupported, unfair, and fruitless. USA Today’s latest reporting prioritizes innuendo over fact, showcases a lack of fundamental understanding of how testing works, and fails to include critical information in service to a runaway narrative. This from a newspaper which did not abide by its standards of ethics in its engagement with us, and that just weeks ago was forced to remove 23 stories based on its unethical practices.

Despite the noise, we stay focused on our mission to expand access to quality, low cost healthcare.  

Here is what USA Today deliberately omitted.

USA Today failed to acknowledge the value states and their patients received from the community testing programs we helped create.

Fact: Nomi Health powered the very first -- and the very few -- “burden-free testing programs” in the nation, giving Americans access to testing during a time when they were being rationed in other states. Not only did the company power solutions at a time when much of the traditional healthcare system could not, it did so at a cost that enabled states to continue burden-free testing for hundreds of days – at a cost of $49 per test whereas others were charging up to $340 per test. Nomi operated a constantly evolving pandemic response state by state for hundreds of days, supporting states through the worst of surges. The National Bureau of Economic Research’s most recent report card grading state response to COVID by health outcomes, economic performance and impact on education ranked states where Nomi helped lead the response as the #1, #2, #6 and #11 best in the country.  

USA Today failed to include Nomi Health’s healthcare, medical and clinical expertise – and the fact that no one had handled a pandemic of this nature.

Fact: Nomi Health’s team, including its founders, medical directors and clinical experts, possess a combined decades of expertise needed to solve the public health challenge the pandemic posed. Traditional healthcare systems could not, or would not, rise to the challenge. Nomi Health provided a desperately needed solution to states in the midst of a pandemic. Governors first used emergency procurement capabilities to contract with Nomi. The governors’ emergency procurement allowed for states to move quickly to deliver services that would have otherwise been delayed through a traditional RFP process.  

States and governors approached Nomi Health after unsuccessfully attempting to first contract with incumbent health systems (hospitals, university and state health systems, etc.) under the same procurement process, but were told that the incumbent systems were not prepared or able to assist in the states’ pandemic response.  

Additional state contracts following the initial emergency procurements were awarded to Nomi Health via a competitive RFP process.

USA Today failed to acknowledge that governors chose Nomi programs because they worked, and were ranked among the best state Covid responses in the nation.  

Fact: Governors chose Nomi Health because the programs worked. Nomi Health had no political connections or affiliations in March 2020.  

Lobbying activity followed the awarding of contracts. Nomi Health believes in driving policy conversations related to healthcare, tech, business and more. As such, we routinely engage our lobbyists in public affairs conversations to share Nomi Health’s point of view and thought leadership, while advocating for our work and employees.

• Nebraska lobbying registration can be found here
• Utah lobbying registration can be found here
• Iowa lobbying registration can be found here

USA Today failed to include that all tests used by Nomi Health are in good standing with the FDA to this day.  

Fact: Tests administered by Nomi Health at its sites perform according to their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. They perform the way the tests are intended to perform and are accurate. The Co-Diagnostics test, one of several performed by Nomi Health, has been proven to be accurate via multiple validation studies and has maintained its FDA EUA. Nomi Health-operated state covid response programs relied on many of the world's leading companies for both tests and lab services. Our partners include Abbot, ThermoFisher, ARUP and Co-Diagnostics.

USA Today failed to acknowledge that the Tennessee health department operated dysfunctionally from the start with constant in-fighting and distrust plainly evident when reviewing the emails between state employees.  

Fact: Nomi Health’s contract with the State of Tennessee was mutually terminated due to dysfunction and internal politics within the Department of Health and throughout state government. Nomi Health provided all necessary test kits, PPE, lab equipment, etc. See the Mutual Termination Agreement here.

USA Today failed to question Paul Huntsman’s true motives, which he has put forward via his cohort of lawyers and publicists.

Fact: Paul Huntsman has engaged in a multi-year legal and media campaign of harassment against the company and its leaders, all based on his political grievance. Learn more about Paul Huntsman's multi-year campaign to discredit state pandemic programs here.

We engaged USA Today with hours of our time on the record and hundreds of pages of documents, which they chose to overwhelmingly ignore - even while their own coverage heroed other innovations (including ones now defunct such as this) and acknowledged the dire need for solutions (in articles such as this). Their innuendo and half-truths do not change the facts, nor do they distract us. We remain focused on our mission to expand easier access to low-cost, quality care for Americans. We believe in the critical role of fair journalism and in the need for press access and welcome oversight. Most importantly, we honor the sacrifice of our field teams on the front lines across the nation, working through the most extreme of circumstances, as well as those who powered a herculean response that included technology, supply chain and staffing to materially improve our nation’s Covid response.

If you are a member of the media with questions, please reach out to press@nomihealth.com.