Washington, D.C. – Earlier today, 11 House members from southeastern Pennsylvania and south New Jersey called on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to address recent reports concerning the care and treatment that patients receiving prostate brachytherapy treatments received at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Recent news reports have detailed “failure in oversight and systemic problems in prostate-cancer care” at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

This letter, spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (PA-13), was signed by U.S. Reps. Adler (NJ-03), Andrews (NJ-01), Brady (PA-01), Dent (PA-15), Fattah (PA-02), Gerlach (PA-06), LoBiondo (NJ-02), Murphy (PA-08), Pitts (PA-16), and Sestak (PA-07).

A copy of the letter follows below. For an official signed copy, please contact Rachel.Magnuson@mail.house.gov <mailto:Rachel.Magnuson@mail.house.gov> .

June 24, 2009

The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki

Department of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary Shinseki:

We are alarmed by recent news reports describing a “failure in oversight and systemic problems in prostate-cancer care” that took place over a six-year period at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

According to these news reports as well as a recent report of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), serious, health-jeopardizing errors were committed in 92 out of 116 prostate brachytherapy treatments performed at the Philadelphia VA between February 2002 and May 2008. In 57 of those cases, patients received less than 80 percent of the prescribed radiation dose, and in 35 cases, patients received excessive doses to other organs.

While this rate of medical error is alarmingly high, we find it even more disturbing that these errors were allowed to go on for a six-year period, beginning with the introduction of prostate brachytherapy to the Philadelphia VA. According to press reports, the NRC investigators have found that: clinicians were not trained in how to define a medical error or how to report such errors; independent peer review was not performed in prostate cancer care; and that this pattern of substandard care was not detected through regular procedures, but rather as the result of the investigation of an unrelated problem.

               

When veterans seek treatment from the Philadelphia VA, they deserve the highest standard of care. That is why we are seriously troubled both by the dangers to which the majority of prostate brachytherapy patients were exposed, and by the inference that the Medical Center may lack appropriate medical safeguards and accountability.

Therefore, we request a meeting with you or your representative to discuss what happened in the care of prostate cancer patients at the Philadelphia VA and what steps you are taking to prevent similar patterns of medical error from arising again.

Sincerely,

Allyson Y. Schwartz, Member of Congress

John Adler, Member of Congress

Robert E. Andrews, Member of Congress

Robert Brady, Member of Congress

Charlie Dent, Member of Congress

Chaka Fattah, Member of Congress

Jim Gerlach, Member of Congress

Frank A. LoBiondo, Member of Congress

Patrick Murphy, Member of Congress

Joe Pitts, Member of Congress

Joe Sestak, Member of Congress

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