June 30, 2009, 1:35 PM

PHILADELPHIA — The radiation oncologist whom regulators accuse of mishandling scores of radioactive seed implants at the Philadelphia veterans’ hospital told a Congressional panel on Monday that while he “could have done better” with some implants, his patients over all received effective treatment for their prostate cancer.

“I did not believe our procedures were botched,” said the physician, Dr. Gary D. Kao, who no longer treats patients at the veterans’ hospital or its affiliated hospital run by the University of Pennsylvania. “I’ve always acted in the best interest of the patients.”

The Times reported last week that investigators for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and V.A. officials had identified Dr. Kao as the doctor who did all but a handful of what they said were 92 substandard seed implants out of 116 cases over more than six years. In some cases, most of the tiny metal seeds ended up in other organs.