covid 19, PRIME, Coronavirus

PRIME continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation.


As new information becomes available, PRIME will continue to provide the occupational medicine services that you have trusted for the past 25 years. In addition, our team of medical doctors and providers are working diligently to stay current on all testing, quarantine, treatment and return-to-work guidance as it becomes available.

April 27, 2020 Update:
To all PRIME Clients and Partners

As the nation makes the best effort to safely return to work, I just want to share some of PRIME physicians’ thought processes.

COVID-19 is new to all of us, and as the community continues down this path, we will all adjust as we understand better.

Luke Lee, MD, MPH, CIME
Board Certified Occupational Medicine
PRIME Occupational Medicine

For your reference, see:

COVID-19 Return to Work Guidance
Read the ACOEM Statement

Recent Updates:

April 2, 2020 Update: To all PRIME Clients and Partners

I hope this note finds you and your family healthy and well. These past weeks have been among some of the most tumultuous and emotional that many of us can remember. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt by individuals, families, companies and communities, across the United States and around the world.

As our clients, we want to support you to save jobs and improve the future of your industries. We also want to ensure that we can offer the services you need and have come to expect as a PRIME client. While much remains uncertain right now, one thing is for sure: this crisis will pass. Our nation and communities will recover and PRIME will continue to serve you with improved services and efficiency. We are proud to be your medical service provider and you can be assured that we will always be here for you and your workforce.

In response to the current challenges, we have modified many of our services. We are also offering:
  • Site pre-access screening to include online pre-access screening questionnaire, pre-entry on-site temperature checks
  • COVID-19 telemedicine Case Management of suspected or symptomatic employees
  • COVID-19 on-line or telemedicine Fit-for-Duty or Return-to-Work evaluations of potentially exposed employees
  • COVID-19 test management services – quick on-site screens, lab confirmed tests, and telemedicine evaluation of test results
  • Modified PFT/Spirometry, mask fit test, and breath alcohol testing services
  • Medical supply services including masks, thermometers, gloves, etc.

While much remains uncertain right now, one thing is for sure: this crisis will pass. Our nation and communities will recover and PRIME will continue to service you with improved services and efficiency. We are proud to be your medical service provider and you can be assured that we will always be here for you and your workforce.

Luke Lee, MD, MPH, CIME
Board Certified Occupational Medicine
PRIME Occupational Medicine
Fit-for-Duty Employer Protocol
Employer Case Management Protocol

March 24, 2020: A Letter From Dr. Lee

In the midst of all the confusion and fast moving COVID-19 information, we want to ensure that we serve all employers in the safest way possible.
There has been confusion related to testing offered at this time and we believe our previous communication may have been unclear.
Therefore, we would like to provide clarifications:
    1. PRIME did not suspend “all” PFT, ONLY routine PFT is not recommended and clinical PFT is still being conducted. Respiratory protection questionnaire should continue.
    2. Quantitative Fit tests should be modified to use the worker’s own filter cartridges and not shared common filters; Qualitative Fit testing can continue.
    3. EBT using BAT should be limited to confirmations only, or other significant operational rationale.
We want to stress that we have not suspended all testing. Instead, out of concern for the health of your employees and ours we have suspended certain routine testing for PFT, BAT, and mask fit. We do understand that some of these services are essential to ensuring the safety of your workers as well as the ability for them to perform their jobs. In those instances, we also consider these services as essential and we will offer to perform this testing as deemed medically necessary. We do ask that you take each employee’s indications for testing into consideration. Please feel free to contact us for clarifications regarding individual employee’s unique needs. See attached guidelines for full details.
Again, thank you for your consideration and understanding during this extraordinary time as PRIME strives to continue to protect the health and safety of your workforce.

Luke Lee, MD, MPH, CIME

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March 23, 2020 - Cities Services Update

Starting Monday, March 23, 2020, ALL services provided in the Sulphur area will be consolidated to one full-service facility located at 950 South Beglis Parkway Sulphur, LA 70663 (337)-310-7233. Again, ALL services will be consolidated to our location on Beglis Parkway. We are doing this to protect and service our customers.

Our Cities Service Location (2492 South Cities Service Hwy) will be closed to the general public. It will become PRIME’s COVID-19 command and telemedicine service center.

There will be signs posted at the Cities Service location instructing your employees to report to the Beglis Parkway location. The general population will NOT HAVE ACCESS to the Cities Service location.

There is no action needed from you other than asking employees to report to the correct location.

March 19, 2020 - Return to Work Information

Employer Guidelines for Return to Work due to Concern for COVID-19

 Given the community risk of COVID-19, we recommend that all employers adopt a return to work (RTW) screening process, that likely are more stringent than previous policies. This recommendation is IN ADDITION to the employer’s normal RTW policies.

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March 18, 2020 - A Letter From Dr. Lee

The past several weeks have been difficult for us all. The news is dominated by the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, and is rapidly changing, which has affected us all in one way or another. In times like these, it is critical to keep a balanced perspective and consider all facts. Adversity is not new to people. History tells us the human response always rises to the challenges faced, and we are confident that this time will be no different.
While nobody knows exactly what the coming days, weeks or months will bring, we can prepare for various scenarios. During uncertain times we often see an uptick in bad actors trying to exploit an individual’s anxiety, or even generosity. Whenever you make any judgment, it’s important to consider the source of the data that you receive. We wanted to personally reach out and let you know that Prime’s physician leadership team has taken this extremely seriously and is meeting everyday to improve our responses in a timely manner.
We are closely monitoring the guidance of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the spread of the virus. Our focus is to ensure we meet our customers, the employer-clients as well as their employees, needs while doing our part to keep you, Prime staff, and our communities safe.
Many of you are managers of your enterprise. Your family and your employee’s health, welfare and safety are of paramount importance to you. We have developed detailed guidelines related to how we would recommend that you and your family protect yourself. Since the situation is rapidly changing, please send an email to covid19@primeoccmed.com for a current copy of the “Employee Guide.”
From a business resiliency perspective, we advise you to have comprehensive plans in place to ensure that your employees remain safe. Prime is doing our utmost to achieve the same goals while remaining ready and able to serve you with the best of professional services, without disruption. As you may already know, OSHA has stated that it is the employer’s responsibility to protect their employees from contracting COVID-19 from the workplace by classifying COVID-19 as a “recordable” disease. We have also developed an “Employer Guide” to COVID-19. Again, you can send an email to covid19@primeoccmed.com to receive a current copy of the guide.
If you happen to visit a Prime facility, you may notice some changes are evident. Our facilities that are located in areas of widespread community spread are already screening all persons entering the facility, including Prime employees. The remainder of our facilities will implement the same process as the situation dictates. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we feel it is the appropriate step to take in protecting not only our employees but yours as well.
Additionally, we encourage you to visit our website at PRIMEOCCMED.COM for current responses to protect you and our staff.
Above all, we want you to know that you can continue to rely on the global resources and stability of Prime and our international partner, International SOS. We stand with you, ready to help, offer advice and share our best thinking on how to manage through this period.
Thank you for your continued trust and confidence in us.
Luke Lee, MD, MPH, CIME
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