Becker's Hospital Review

21 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 21 CEO / STRATEGY Healthcare execs, physicians pardoned by Trump By Ayla Ellison H ealthcare executives convicted of fraud were among the 143 people who re- ceived pardons or sentence commu- tations from former President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, his last day in office. At least 10 of the 143 on the list, made pub- lic early Jan. 20, were convicted of defrauding healthcare programs or other crimes involv- ing the healthcare industry. Faustino Bernadett, MD, the former owner of Long Beach, Calif.-based Pacific Hospital, was sentenced last year to 15 months in prison for his role in a kickback scheme that led to more than $900 million in fraudulent bills be- ing submitted. He received a full pardon. Todd Farha, addeus Bereday, William Kale, Paul Behrens and Peter Clay are for- mer executives of Tampa, Fla.-based WellCare Health Plans. ey were convicted in 2013 in a case involving Medicaid fraud, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. ey were granted full pardons. Frederick Nahas, MD, became aware of a federal investigation into his billing practices in the 1990s. e six-year investigation didn't uncover any billing fraud, but he didn't fully cooperate and ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing justice in a healthcare in- vestigation. He spent one month in prison in 2003, according to NBC News. He received a full pardon. John Duncan Fordham, a pharmacist, was convicted of healthcare fraud in 2005 and sen- tenced to more than four years in prison. He was released in 2009, according to e Augus- ta Chronicle. He was granted a full pardon. Ed Henry, a former Alabama state lawmaker, pleaded guilty in 2019 to a charge stemming from a Medicare fraud case, according to AL.com. He was granted a full pardon. Salomon Melgen, MD, a Florida ophthalmol- ogist, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2018 for defrauding Medicare of at least $73 million. President Trump commuted Dr. Mel- gen's prison sentence. n Ex-Broward Health executive facing bribery, money laundering charges By Alia Paavola A former executive at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health is facing charges of bribery and money laundering, according to an indictment made public in early January. Brian Bravo, former corporate procurement officer and director of materials management at Broward Health, faces up to 60 years in prison and up to a $1.25 million fine if convicted of all charges. According to prosecutors, Mr. Bravo orchestrated a bribery and kickback scheme between 2008 and 2015 that involved four vendors, two unnamed co-conspirators and at least one family member. Three of the vendors in the scheme allegedly received $22 million in procurement contracts from Broward Health during the time in question. According to prosecutors, Mr. Bravo steered contracts to these unnamed vendors in exchange for $600,000 in kickbacks, vacations to tropical places and other items, including World Cup tickets. In an effort to shield the kickbacks from vendors, Mr. Bravo instructed ven- dors to send checks to Ecosafe, a Florida company owned by an unnamed relative to hide kickback payments he received from vendors, the indict- ment claims. Mr. Bravo pleaded not guilty Jan. 8 in federal court in Fort Lauderdale to charges of bribery, money-laundering and extortion. He was released later that day on a $200,000 bond, according to The Florida Sun Sentinel. Mr. Bravo was fired from Broward Health in 2015. The unsealed indictment comes nearly five years after a federal grand jury subpoenaed Broward Health in relation to an FBI probe that demanded purchasing documents from the public health system. n Cleveland Clinic changes mission statement By Morgan Haefner T he new mission statement Cleveland Clinic intends to use for the next 100 years is: "Caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve." CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, MD announced the change at the sys- tem's State of the Clinic address Jan. 13, which also commemorated Cleve- land Clinic's centennial in 2021. "Our mission has served the community for generations, yet our role has evolved with the passage of time," Dr. Mihaljevic said in a virtual address to Cleveland Clinic employees. "As stewards of this organization, we carry out the will of our founders to reach for higher and nobler ends. So today, I am privileged to unveil our new mission statement for the next 100 years." He added that Cleveland Clinic aims to be the best place to get care and work in healthcare. Cleveland Clinic's previous mission statement was: "To provide better care of the sick, investigation in their problems and further education of those who serve." n

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