Patients expect hospital workers to conduct themselves with a proper code of ethics. They also have a reasonable expectation that hospital workers will manage their important medical tests with care. But apparently not all hospital workers follow this plan.
CBS news reports on a hospital worker who pled guilty to faking mammogram results.
The falsification of these mammograms unfortunately had dire consequences for some patients.
Many of the patients whose reports were tampered with had traces of cancer that went unnoticed due to the tampering. This cost the patients the opportunity to get a head start on treatment, which is extremely important in cancer cases due to the fact that cancer spreads unnaturally fast in the human body.
The employee was a radiology technician. She has pleaded guilty to ten counts of reckless conduct as well as computer forgery. “Prosecutors have said the 33-year-old entered nearly 1,300 negative mammogram results at Perry Hospital between Jan. 22, 2009 and April 1, 2010 that hadn't been reviewed by a radiologist. Prosecutors said 10 of the results were actually positive, and two of the patients died,” according to CBS.
Ms. Rapraeger did not have much of a defense for her actions.
CBS explains, “Defense attorney Mr. Buford said Ms. Rapraeger was overwhelmed and began entering negative results when she got behind at work.”
Rapraeger has been sentenced to ten years of probation. She also may face six months in a state detention center. Authorities are still looking into whether the deaths of the two patients can and will be traced back to Rapraeger.
