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NRC, SINAI HOSPITAL TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet December 16 with representatives of Sinai Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, for a predecisional enforcement conference on apparent quality management program violations in the radiation oncology department at the hospital.
The meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room of the NRC Region III Office, 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois. It is open to public observation. NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer questions from the news media and other interested observers.
The discussion will focus on the hospital's apparent failure on several occasions in October to: check dose calculations within three days after a patient treatment administration; verify the specific treatment plan with the physician's written order prior to a patient administration; and perform weekly patient chart checks.
These apparent violations were found during an NRC inspection in October and November conducted to review the circumstances of a medical misadministration. The October incident involved a patient receiving more than the intended dose during a portion of a series of radiation treatments. The radiation dose did not exceed the originally planned total dose. The hospital did not expect any adverse effects to the patient.
The decision to hold an enforcement conference does not mean the NRC has determined that a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. Rather, the purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the company to outline its proposed corrective actions.
No decision on the apparent violations or any contemplated enforcement action, such as a fine, will be made at this conference. Those decisions will be made by senior NRC officials at a later date.
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