UPDATE; TAINTED MEDICAL TESTS; SASKATCHEWAN; DR. DARIUS TSATSI HELD INCOMPETENT; HEARING SET FOR TODAY; WILL HIS LICENSE BE REVOKED?

""THEY GAVE HIM A WRITTEN EXAMINATION," BRYAN SALTE, THE ASSOCIATE REGISTRAR AND LAWYER FOR THE COLLEGE, TOLD CBC NEWS. "THEY EXAMINED THE INTERPRETATIONS HE HAD MADE OF A NUMBER OF MODALITIES: CT SCANNINGS, X-RAYS AND SO ON.

"THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF THE COMPETENCY COMMITTEE WAS THAT DR. TSATSI LACKED SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTISE AS A RADIOLOGIST," SALTE SAID. "THEY RECOMMENDED THAT HE SPEND A YEAR OF RETRAINING IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THE PRACTISE OF RADIOLOGY.""

CBC NEWS;

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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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"The Yorkton, Sask., doctor at the centre of a review of thousands of medical tests does not have the skills or knowledge to practise radiology, the College of Physicians and Surgeons announced Friday," the CBC story under the heading "Sask. radiologist fails competency test," began.

"Dr. Darius Tsatsi's work interpreting X-rays, mammograms, and other diagnostic images came into question in May," the story continued.

"The provincial Ministry of Health and several regional health authorities have been reviewing every case he provided an opinion on.

"Some 70,000 images are connected to the massive review, which is not yet complete," the story continued.

"On Friday, the regulating body that oversees Saskatchewan doctors released the findings of a competency committee that assessed Tsatsi.

"They gave him a written examination," Bryan Salte, the associate registrar and lawyer for the college, told CBC News. "They examined the interpretations he had made of a number of modalities: CT scannings, X-rays and so on.

"The ultimate conclusion of the competency committee was that Dr. Tsatsi lacked skill and knowledge to practise as a radiologist," Salte said. "They recommended that he spend a year of retraining in order to be able to return to the practise of radiology."

Salte said that the doctor did not contest the finding.

Tsatsi agreed in May to a voluntary suspension.

College to consider status

Tsatsi's future will be considered by the college on Nov. 20.

There are three options:

* Revoke his licence to practise medicine.


* Continue the suspension.


* Allow him to resume his practice, with conditions."

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The CBC reported on November 18, 2009, that: "On Wednesday, the Sunrise Health Region released its latest set of findings on the work of Dr. Darius Tsatsi, who was one of three radiologists s with privileges at Yorkton Regional Health Centre, about 200 kilometres northeast of Regina."

"In May, Tsatsi agreed to a voluntary suspension while the Saskatchewan Health Ministry ordered a massive review of his work," the story continued.

"That review is still underway, with 39,711 out of 47,646 radiology exams having been re-read.

The health region says 946 of those exams — or 2.38 per cent — have "discordances" that could affect the patient. It didn't say whether anyone's health was affected, only that there was a potential for it to have been affected.

Another 5,804 (14.6 per cent) were considered "substantially correct with minor discrepancies." With the rest, there was no difference of interpretation.

The region didn't provide any analysis of the numbers or say what an acceptable problem rate is.

The exams reviewed were initially done in the period from 2007 to 2009. Those that still remain to be reviewed are from 2004 to 2006.

Radiologists are involved in interpreting x-rays and magnetic resonance imaging scans, including those for cardiac and cancer patients.
An update of a review of a Yorkton, Sask., radiologist has found that about two per cent of roughly 40,000 examinations he performed had the potential to negatively affect the patient."

Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;