St Vincent’s Hospital is in the process of urgently retesting more than 1,500 patient records. They are taking this bold step after revealing significant flaws in the advice and reviews offered by Professor Allan Spigelman, a noted cancer expert. The hospital’s investigation follows concerns raised about Professor Spigelman’s clinical practices, particularly during the COVID pandemic from April 2022 to June 2023. Enter St Vincent’s who wants to make sure they protect their patients and proactively mitigate any risks that can arise from the incorrect information provided to patients.
As head of the Department of Genetics at St Vincent’s, Professor Allan Spigelman worked for close to two decades assessing and managing hereditary cancer risk. In 2016, he was thrust into the limelight and became the object of close examination. This came on the heels of a scandal in which another specialist had underdosed nearly 100 cancer patients with chemotherapy. Although this incident didn’t directly impact Professor Spigelman himself, it still loomed large over almost every aspect of the public hospital’s cancer treatment guidelines.
In September 2023, St Vincent’s Hospital became aware of irregularities in Professor Spigelman’s approach, prompting immediate action to investigate the matter. The hospital then clarified that these errors were due to inadequate clinical documentation, incomplete letters of correspondence and absence of genetic counselling. Then, they opted flabbergastingly not to renew his contract.
Review of Patient Records
St Vincent’s Hospital has initiated a deep dive audit of all patient records. This analysis only looks at data from the early days of the COVID pandemic. This evaluation will re-assess the 1,500 patient charts found. Perhaps it will involve thousands of others who were treated by Spigelman in the two years beginning with March 2020.
The hospital is investigating the matter in full. Its public interest objective is to determine what harm Professor Spigelman’s erroneous advice has done to health outcomes, so as to take steps to mitigate that harm. As they pursue these lines of inquiry, they have identified about 20 patients who may be at highest risk. This is because of the dangerous misinformation he spread. Alarmingly, we found one patient had an adverse clinical health outcome due to these mistakes.
St Vincent’s Hospital has also been very proactive in reaching out to all affected patients. During this time, they took the time to engage and educate us on the review process. They further expressed regret for any anxiety the events have inflicted upon them. The hospital has taken it on themselves to make sure that every bit of needed support gets to these patients.
“As soon as the hospital became aware in September 2023 of irregularities in the clinician’s approach, we moved to investigate whether there had been any impact on patient safety.” – St Vincent’s Hospital
Patient Safety and Follow-Up Care
After conducting their own internal review, St Vincent’s Hospital began contacting patients who may have been affected. They validated those mistakes and offered the crucial follow-up care when necessary. The hospital stressed that it takes very seriously its responsibility to ascertain what happened and aid those who were harmed by Professor Spigelman’s advice.
In a letter sent to affected patients, St Vincent’s stated that they “did identify some issues with the advice and testing given to a select number of patients.” This recognition signals a growing recognition of the seriousness of the situation and a growing call for increased quality of care in all aspects of patient care.
To make sure they’re not caught out like this again, St Vincent’s has reinstalled its model of care that existed before the pandemic started. This model of care encourages teamwork between several providers. This is a positive step toward increasing oversight and accountability and making sure that these irregularities don’t happen again.
“We have begun making changes to the service model and seeing patients without the involvement of other clinicians.” – St Vincent’s Hospital
Regulatory Actions
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has verified to us that they referred Professor Allan Spigelman to the New South Wales regulator. This referral has gone to HCCC. This referral is a sign that the issue may be primed for additional regulatory attention.
Professor Spigelman has so far declined to comment on the fascinating story for Australian media including ABC. Yet, his silence does beg the question about what he would want to see happen here and what should happen next.
St Vincent’s Hospital is committed to ongoing review processes with the ultimate aim that patient safety always comes first. The Louisiana hospital has made transparency its top priority and is committed to winning back the trust of his patients.
“To inform them of the lookback [review] and apologise for any inconvenience and stress caused by the review or its outcomes.” – St Vincent’s Hospital
