WASHINGTON, DC – Disgraced former Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre is slated to appear today in front of the Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions to answer for how he mismanaged the billion dollar hospital system. But don’t get your hopes up as he plans to defy the congressional subpoena about his troubled record at Steward Health Care, all while he made an estimated $250 million.
“The least Ralph de la Torre could do was take responsibility for his failures, but he couldn’t be bothered to show up. His tenure at the helm of Steward Health Care is the most egregious example of hospital waste and abuse in recent memory. Sadly, the patients who rely on the system for care are the ones who suffer the most in this situation while de la Torre continues to live a lavish lifestyle,” said Better Solutions for Healthcare Executive Director Connie Partoyan. “This could very well be a Pandora’s box situation where other hospital system executives face more scrutiny from lawmakers and media in order to avoid another large-scale bankruptcy that harms patients.”
We’ve seen an uptick in questionable spending by hospital systems in recent months, including $1.9 billion spent on an Ohio State University hospital tower and a new Hollywood production studio for Northwell Health. Better Solutions recently launched a new interactive website as part of its “Hospital Watch” initiative to highlight local examples of hospital abuse across all 50 states.
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