ProPublica, in collaboration with the Houston Chronicle, published a report June 29 standing behind their previous reporting that revealed allegations of research misconduct and ethical breaches against prominent Houston heart surgeon O.H. "Bud" Frazier, MD.
Here are five things to know:
1. ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle published a joint investigation in May that found Dr. Frazier had allegedly violated federal research rules and skirted ethical guidelines. Reporters reviewed internal hospital reports, federal court filings, financial disclosures and government documents, and held interviews with several former Houston-based Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center physicians.
2. However, the publications noted that during the past month, nearly 50 physicians, researchers, patients and community leaders have sent letters — some of which have been published by the Houston Chronicle — criticizing the investigation. Some readers regarded the investigation as a "biased smear attempt" or "fake news," the report states.
3. In its June 29 notice, the publications said they stand behind their reporting on Dr. Frazier. They noted he had every opportunity to respond to the publications' requests for comment and that they included his responses in their story.
"We stand by our reporting and have found no instances of errors," the report states. "The story … was based on internal hospital records, court filings, official reports to federal regulators and interviews with medical professionals. Reporters posted several source documents with the online version of the story.
"[Dr.] Frazier had an opportunity to respond to every finding from our reporting before the story was published. We sent extensive and detailed questions to [Dr.] Frazier and a lawyer representing him and repeatedly extended the deadline for them to respond. We took their responses seriously and included them in our story."
4. The publications commented on specific criticisms they received regarding their reporting. In one instance, three prominent researchers on a clinical trial Dr. Frazier was affiliated with characterized the story's findings as "claims" made by the reporters involved. The Houston-based Texas Heart Institute, the research arm of Baylor St. Luke's, made similar statements in a June 15 letter to donors.
5. For their original story, reporters reached out to The New England Journal of Medicine, which published studies based in part on Dr. Frazier's research. The journal initially told reporters it was not aware of any concerns regarding the published research. In a June email to ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle, a spokesperson for NEJM said editors received information about patients enrolled in the trial.
"Based on this information, which is confidential, we are satisfied that the published data are accurate and that the trial is appropriately described. For these reasons, we do not consider it necessary to take further action. The internal Texas Heart Institute review you provided to us focused on the clinical trials of two different devices: the HeartMate II device and the Jarvik 2000 device. NEJM did not publish any data from the Jarvik 2000 study, so we cannot evaluate the veracity of reports from that trial," the NEJM spokesperson said.
To access ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle's joint statement in full, click here.