Full Article at: NRC fines Phila. VA $227,500 over prostate care
By Josh Goldstein
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Philadelphia VA Medical Center was hit with a $227,500 fine by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday for poor care in a prostate cancer program that resulted in 97 veterans getting incorrect doses of radiation.
The fine levied against the Department of Veterans Affairs was the second largest ever by the NRC against a medical facility. The VA has 30 days to contest the fine.
"The VA Philadelphia had a total breakdown in management oversight, a total breakdown in the program, and a total breakdown in safety culture that resulted in these egregious failures," said Steve Reynolds, director of the division of nuclear material safety for NRC Region III, which oversees the Veterans Health Administration.
The largest NRC fine was $280,000 in 1996 against the owners of hospitals in Indiana, Pa., and Marlton. That case involved the death of a patient.
"Fortunately nobody died here," Reynolds said.
At least not yet."
Thursday, March 18, 2010
VA's Top Technology Officer Say Disability Claim System Can't be Fixed
Full Article at: VA official: Disability claims system ‘cannot be fixed'
"The Veterans Affairs Department's chief technology officer said Thursday that
"In my judgment, it cannot be fixed," said Peter Levin. "We need to build a new system, and that is exactly what we are going to do."
Levin's comments came at a meeting organized by the House Veterans' Affairs Committee to toss around ideas for repairing a system that has a backlog of about 1.1 million claims awaiting decisions and an error rate on claims of 17 to 25 percent, depending on who is counting.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Va., the veterans' committee chairman, described the system as an "insult to veterans" who, on average, wait six months for an initial decision on benefits and who can wait for years if the decision is appealed.
"It looks like we are going backwards rather than forward," Filner said. "No matter how much we raise the budget, no matter how many people we hire, the backlog seems to get bigger."
"People die before their claim is adjudicated. They lose their home. Those lost their car," Filner said."
"The Veterans Affairs Department's chief technology officer said Thursday that
"In my judgment, it cannot be fixed," said Peter Levin. "We need to build a new system, and that is exactly what we are going to do."
Levin's comments came at a meeting organized by the House Veterans' Affairs Committee to toss around ideas for repairing a system that has a backlog of about 1.1 million claims awaiting decisions and an error rate on claims of 17 to 25 percent, depending on who is counting.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Va., the veterans' committee chairman, described the system as an "insult to veterans" who, on average, wait six months for an initial decision on benefits and who can wait for years if the decision is appealed.
"It looks like we are going backwards rather than forward," Filner said. "No matter how much we raise the budget, no matter how many people we hire, the backlog seems to get bigger."
"People die before their claim is adjudicated. They lose their home. Those lost their car," Filner said."
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