"THE REVIEW OF MORE THAN 69,000 DIAGNOSTIC IMAGES READ BY TSATSI DURING HIS FIVE YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT WITH THE HEALTH REGION IS ONE OF THE LARGEST RADIOLOGY DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING REVIEWS IN CANADIAN HISTORY.
KIRWAN SAID MORE THAN 12,000 EXAMS HAVE BEEN SENT BY THE HEALTH REGION TO BE RE-READ BY RADIOLOGISTS IN REGINA AND EDMONTON. REPORTS HAVE NOW BEEN RECEIVED ON 2,550 EXAMS WITH DIFFERENCE OF INTERPRETATIONS NOTED IN 312 EXAMS. AS THE REPORTS ARE RECEIVED THE HEALTH REGION IS FORWARDING THE INFORMATION TO THE FAMILY PHYSICIANS AND NOTIFYING PATIENTS, EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO CHANGE IN INTERPRETATION."
REGINA LEADER-POST;
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Background: Saskatchewan is the province where Dr. Charles Smith was hired on a one-year contract with the expectation that he would eventually become a full-time employee - with the support of a colleague from medical school - to work as a pathologist after he left Ontario in disgrace. (Smith's contact was terminated after news of his employment became public);
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on May 31, 2009, that: "Questions of competency were raised 2½ years ago about the radiologist (Dr. Darius Tsatsi) whose work has led to an unprecedented review of 70,000 medical images, a spokesman for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan says."
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"Preliminary findings of a third-party audit of Yorkton radiologist Dr. L. Darius Tsatsi's diagnostic work has disclosed that differences of interpretation in 116 of 312 exams were considered to have the potential to affect patient care," the Leader-Post story published earlier today begins;
""We may never know how the differences of interpretation could have potentially affected health outcomes really. We may never really know that in any real true sense,'' Sunrise Health Region CEO Joe Kirwan said on Monday," the story, under the headline "Preliminary review shows discrepancies in Dr. Tsatsi's radiology exams", continues."
""If you have got chronic or ongoing health issues, you are going to be under constant care anyway. If it is episodic or a one-time thing, it may have already been cured and we won't know that if there is any lingering effects. We may never know that."
Kirwan said he was not privy to what medical conditions were associated with the files that came back flagged as potentially putting patient care at risk.
The health region and the Ministry of Health ordered the review May 20 following notification by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan of serious concerns about possible misinterpretations. The college, the medical licensing regulator, raised the concerns following a quality assurance audit last year of 103 of Tsatsi's case files, which revealed a significant difference of clinical interpretation.
The review of more than 69,000 diagnostic images read by Tsatsi during his five years of employment with the health region is one of the largest radiology diagnostic imaging reviews in Canadian history.
Kirwan said more than 12,000 exams have been sent by the health region to be re-read by radiologists in Regina and Edmonton. Reports have now been received on 2,550 exams with difference of interpretations noted in 312 exams. As the reports are received the health region is forwarding the information to the family physicians and notifying patients, even when there is no change in interpretation.
"I fully understand the concern of individuals and family members and am very sorry for the anxiety caused by this review," Kirwan said.
"Our normal health services continue throughout the review and we recommend that people not hesitate to see their family physician if they have tests that are part of the review and they are not feeling well."
Any patient who has to have a repeat of a diagnostic test because the initial exam diagnosis was questionable will have their exams expedited, Kirwan said.
The process of reviewing the remaining exams will continue in reverse chronological order from 2009 going back to 2004."
The article can be found at:
http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Preliminary+review+shows+discrepencies+Tsatsi+radiology+exams+Sunrise+Health+Region/1833520/story.html
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;