Dear AuntMinnie Member,
What did they know, and when did they know it? That's what inquiring Capitol Hill watchers wanted to know following testimony by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) representatives on the recent prostate brachytherapy scandal at VA hospitals.
In congressional hearings last month, VA representatives discussed the steps they have been taking to improve quality control and oversight of brachytherapy programs, which were the subject of an investigative story in the New York Times in June.
But some congressional representatives were frustrated to learn that the VA had apparently known about problems in its brachytherapy operations for some time, but had not disclosed the issues until the New York Times story was published.
Learn more about the topic by clicking here for part 1 of a two-part series on the hearings by associate editor Cynthia E. Keen in our Radiation Oncology Digital Community. Part 2 will cover additional testimony, including that of the Philadelphia radiation oncologist at the heart of the controversy.
