Veterans Association fined $227K for flawed cancer treatments
Harmful errors in radiation given to 97 veterans with prostate cancer at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center have been in the news for months, but this week the Department of Veterans Affairs was fined $227,500 as a result of these egregious errors. (Philadelphia AP, J. Lobiglio, 3/17). The fine is “the second largest it has ever levied for medical errors,” and “the VA was cited for lacking procedures to ensure and verify the treatments were done correctly, failing to properly train staff and neglecting to immediately report mistakes.”
The victims underwent brachytherapy, a common surgical treatment typically used only on law-risk prostate cancer patients, which involves implanting tiny radioactive iodine pellets, in the prostate to kill cancer cells. After reviewing medical records and conducting tests on the 116 veterans who underwent the procedure between 2002 and 2008, officials concluded that 97 had received incorrect dosages of radiation.
As a medical malpractice attorney, I have continuously been disturbed by the medical negligence that harmed 97 veterans in this situation. I am, however, pleased that the VA was hit with the second largest fine for these careless and harmful errors.
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