An oncologist from St. Francis Hospital Cancer Center in Hartford, Conn., has been fined $5,000 for improperly administering radiation to the wrong side of a patient's mouth, according to a New Haven Independent report.
A patient with a mass on the right side of his mouth underwent 29 radiation treatments with Richard C. Shumway, MD. However, the treatments were delivered to the left side of his mouth. After those treatments, the patient complained to Dr. Shumway of soreness on the left side of his mouth, leading to the discovery that radiation had been administered to the wrong site.
The error was later disclosed to the patient, and a "make up" treatment plan was implemented. Dr. Shumway signed a consent order with the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, under which he agreed to pay the fine and received a reprimand.
A patient with a mass on the right side of his mouth underwent 29 radiation treatments with Richard C. Shumway, MD. However, the treatments were delivered to the left side of his mouth. After those treatments, the patient complained to Dr. Shumway of soreness on the left side of his mouth, leading to the discovery that radiation had been administered to the wrong site.
The error was later disclosed to the patient, and a "make up" treatment plan was implemented. Dr. Shumway signed a consent order with the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, under which he agreed to pay the fine and received a reprimand.
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