Months into a criminal investigation of Contra Costa Health by the California Department of Justice for possible Medi-Cal fraud and elder abuse, the East Bay public health care system has announced its CEO Anna Roth is leaving.
As the county’s largest department, Contra Costa Health (CCH) is a county-run integrated healthcare system providing medical care and a managed-care health plan for people with Medi-Cal.
In a Jan. 24 announcement, CCH said Roth will be leaving her post for a new role with Tahoe Forest Health System and that the date of her departure has not been finalized.
In May – as first reported by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit – a public health nurse whistleblower came forward saying a new Medi-Cal program CCH operates called Enhanced Care Management was ignoring patient medical needs and falsifying medical records. Roth was CEO at the time. The falsifications, she said, showed nurses saw patients when no such visits took place or were handled by someone without medical experience like a housing specialist.
Last December, Contra Costa Health public health nurse manager Irene Graham, who has since resigned, revealed her identity as that whistleblower in hopes more of her colleagues would come forward. Graham’s complaints and the Investigative Unit’s reporting have since prompted:
- A criminal investigation by the California Department of Justice’s Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse Division, according to sources close to the investigation;
- An audit by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that is expected to be released by the end of the month;
- Action by Contra Costa Health Plan, which CCH oversees, to resolve some of the issues identified, according to DHCS;
- A settlement for Graham and a letter from CCH’s public health director acknowledging her dedication to patient care.
“I am hopeful that there’s been meaningful change and that the patients get the care the [Enhanced Care Management] program is being paid to provide. I am concerned that they’re continuing to cut corners,” Graham told NBC Bay Area in a recent interview.
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The Investigative Unit has reached out to Contra Costa Health and Anna Roth about her upcoming departure. We have not heard back. Tahoe Forest Health System said in an email it has no comment.
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For the time being Roth will continue to lead CCH. The Board of Supervisors has not yet assigned an interim CEO or announced hiring plans for a future director.
Catch up on our reporting:
Part 1: Whistleblower: Contra Costa Health is cutting dangerous corners, harming Medi-Cal patients
Part 2: Nurse whistleblower helps lead to Contra Costa Health criminal investigation by DOJ
Part 3: Contra Costa Health CEO is leaving months into DOJ criminal investigation
Part 4: State finds Contra Costa Co. ECM Medi-Cal program failed to ensure medical care
Candice Nguyen is the investigative reporter on this story. If you have a comment on this report or if you have another investigative tip, email her at candice.nguyen@nbcuni.com.
