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Beebe responds to published reports about Bradley

January 11, 2010

A statement from Beebe Medical Center says the hospital did not turn records over to investigators who were looking into complaints about Dr. Earl Bradley in 2005 because the matter was dropped.

“Beebe Medical Center understands we have a duty to report when we have knowledge of any circumstances that may impact a physician’s ability to practice medicine with reasonable skill and safety.  In 2005, we had no knowledge of any issues requiring such reporting,” the Friday, Jan. 8 statement reads.

Bradley is incarcerated in connection with 33 counts of rape and child exploitation, which occurred at his Route 1 office near Lewes.

“The hospital’s oversight of a physician’s clinical practice exists only while the physician is in the hospital.  The hospital has no knowledge of and, of course, no jurisdiction over what happens in the physician’s private office,” the statement said.

“Beebe Medical Center received a subpoena from the Delaware Attorney General on April 7, 2005.  That subpoena asked for records of complaints and any disciplinary records for Dr. Earl Bradley. The purpose for the subpoena was a nonspecific criminal investigation.”

“Upon receiving the subpoena, Beebe immediately responded to the Attorney General’s Office requesting additional information. Before any records were turned over, the matter was dropped. From the time that subpoena was received (April 7, 2005), until we received notification that the investigation was closed (October 5, 2005), we were never told the reason for the investigation. In fact, it wasn’t until this week that we learned the reason for the 2005 investigation in a report published by the News Journal.”

The hospital’s statement continues, saying, “In September 2005, we first heard vague rumors about alleged incidents concerning Dr. Bradley in Pennsylvania. And though we don’t generally operate on such rumors, out of an abundance of caution we felt it prudent to require Dr. Bradley to have a chaperone whenever seeing patients inside the hospital. He was notified of this requirement and readily consented.”

“The chaperone requirement was lifted in October 2005 when Beebe learned that the local investigation was terminated.”

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