PERRY, Ga. - A prosecutor will soon give a public update on a probe into faulty mammogram tests at Perry Hospital that could have affected about 900 women.
Houston County District Attorney Rabb Wilkerson's office plans to hold a news conference on the case Tuesday.
Hospital attorney Victor Moldovan told WMAZ-TV that an employee responsible for getting the vital cancer detection tests read by physicians was not having the results screened by doctors. The employee has been fired.
Law enforcement authorities have been investigating whether anyone should face criminal charges.
The hospital offered the approximately 900 women who recently received mammograms at the hospital a chance to get another screening.
What does this sentence mean: The hospital offered the roughly 900 women who recently received mammograms at the hospital a change to get another screening." Was there a typo? Did the writer intend to use the word 'chance' instead of 'change'? Since it was through no fault of their own that the test will have to be redone, will the women receive the new test without charge? Over how long of a time period did this occur? How long was it before the hospital found out? What triggered the probe? How long had the employee been working at the hospita? Were there women who were diagnosed with Cancer at more advanced stages in this group? How did the 900 women receive notification that their screenings had not been done by a physician? If there is more information on this article, I would appreciate a follow up. Thanks.
anotherlook, you are right what a weak story. This time it is the AP who like the AC will print anything just to fill up space. If I were a female I would be furious and expect the employee to face more than dismissal.
Perry Hospital is telling some 900 women who've gotten mammograms there since 2009 that the results they were given may not be accurate. They may have been told their results were normal though their scans were not read by a physician.
Victor Moldovan, attorney for Houston Healthcare, says about 900 women are being notified as a precaution, but he did not know how many women were actually affected.
The patients are being offered another mammogram at no charge.
Moldovan said an employee responsible for having the mammograms read by a physician wasn't doing that and was quickly terminated when the problem was discovered in early April.
He said the discrepancy was found through a routine quality check.
He would not identify the employee.
13WMAZ first learned of the issue and approached the hospital for comment when the relative of a patient notified us.
We asked the attorney why the hospital had not made a public announcement up until now. Moldovan said "the issue was a matter of patient confidentiality."
He said a public announcement without naming patients would not have notified anyone and therefore not served any purpose.
He said hospital officials first became suspicious because a doctor who appeared to sign off on some of the scans was not in town at the time.
Since then, the attorney said, they are trying to contact everyone who had a mammogram at Perry Hospital that may not have been have been reviewed by a radiologist.
Moldovan said they don't know if everyone they're notifying was affected but they're being informed "just to be certain that we caught every issue out there that might have impacted these patients."
He said everyone reachable by phone has already been notified and the rest have been sent certified letters.
The hospital says any patient with concerns who has not been contacted can call 478 975-6500.
In a news release, Houston Healthcare said: "We at Perry Hospital and Houston Healthcare sincerely apologize for and regret that the actions of one of our employees caused our patients inconvenience or concern."
"The hospital's commitment to patient care remains its primary focus, and we will continue to work to address any concerns patients may have."
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