Phones in local gynecologists' offices started ringing yesterday from women worried about allegations that hundreds of thousands of Pap smear reports were falsified by doctors at the UPMC Health System and Magee-Womens Hospital.

But reaction, overall, appeared to be mixed. Some women expressed shock and disbelief about two lawsuits, filed this week, charging that doctors at the two health organizations had put their electronic signatures on the reports, thus misleading patients into thinking their Pap smears had been reviewed by physicians, when in fact they had not been.

"It's a scary thing," said Bea Doheny, of Point Breeze, who has had two irregular Pap smears within the past five years, followed by normal ones. "I read this, and right away, I thought, I've got to get myself checked out again. ... These things need to be accurate. You're talking about the possibility of cervical cancer here."

Others, noting that the Pap smear reports were nonetheless screened by trained technicians -- if not doctors -- shrugged off the controversy.

"I don't know what the big deal is," said Laurie Baldini, 46, of Ross. "If someone's reviewing them, and that person is trained to do it, what's the problem?"

Officials at Magee and UPMC referred reporters to Dr. Dennis English, head of Womencare Associates, the area's largest obstetrics and gynecological practice, who said he'd received about 15 calls from patients yesterday morning.

"We are trying to reassure callers that we all feel comfortable that Magee-Womens Hospital is providing a high-quality product," said English, who added that they are telling patients they don't believe there are any problems with their Pap smears and that allegations in the news media are unfounded and unproven.

One lawsuit was filed by Dr. Susan A. Silver, who was fired last year from her job as a Magee pathologist; the other by two women, Christine Walter, 58, of Sewickley, and Sharon King, 41, of West Deer, who are seeking class-action status and are asking the court to notify women who had Pap smears reviewed by Magee laboratories between 1995 and 2001.

King and Walter have urged other women to demand new tests, but English said he didn't believe they were necessary.

"We can certainly do another one, but it may well be that the insurance company will not pay for it," said English. "We are quite comfortable with the complete evaluation and treatment plan we already have in place for our patients. Remember, this is a screening test only, just a first step, and screening tests are certainly not infallible."

English noted that UPMC and Magee's laboratories had undergone accreditation by four independent organizations either every year or every two years "and we've always passed with flying colors." Those groups included the College of American Pathology, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and a separate group designated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act, a federal law.

While the suit alleges that administrators and doctors in Magee's pathology department allowed systemic errors to occur, most hospitals across the country follow the same procedures, according to English. Pap smears are screened first by machinery, then further screened by a cytotechnologist, and then, if there are any abnormalities, the sample is examined by a pathologist.

"Doctors simply aren't going to look at every one, but that signature shows that they stand by the work, just as nurse practitioners and midwives ultimately have doctors standing behind them."

"I don't expect the system to be perfect," added Alexandra LePorte, 29, of Shadyside, "but I've always been told it's so important to get these tests, which is why I subject myself to them. I'm glad someone's questioning the system, because women's health is at stake."

But Chris Florian, 47, of McCandless, said that she wasn't sure the lawsuits were necessary, especially the one seeking class-action status. "The only ones who ever make money from class-action suits are the lawyers," she said. Besides, she noted, "Women have been told for years that Pap smears are not always reliable or dependable. The fact that they've been reviewing these Pap smears without a doctor looking at them, well, everyone does it. When you go into an emergency room, you're not always seen by the head doctor either."

But Doheny said she didn't think that Silver, the fired Magee pathologist, would have proceeded with legal action if she hadn't already tried other ways to rectify the situation. Silver is seeking damages under the state's whistleblower law -- a high risk move, Doheny observed.

"I'm inclined to believe that an investigation is warranted, because I think whistleblowing is a last resort."