Senators anticipated to carry Steward Well being Care CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt

Lawmakers say they’d search to carry Steward Well being Care CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt of Congress if he would not seem at a listening to Thursday on Capitol Hill, senators from each events instructed CBS Information.

“If somebody reveals contempt for the folks of the US by not coming to testify each to probably clear his identify, but additionally to offer them perception, then that may be a contemptible factor,” stated Sen. Invoice Cassidy of Louisiana, the rating Republican member of the Senate committee investigating Steward. 

The corporate, which had owned greater than three dozen hospitals throughout eight states, declared chapter earlier this 12 months and has been struggling to search out patrons for its services. Final week, de la Torre’s legal professional wrote to the committee, saying his shopper would “not take part” within the listening to, asserting the testimony wanted to be postponed till after Steward’s chapter proceedings had been resolved. 

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, refused to postpone the listening to, the place lawmakers will even hear from well being care employees and native officers in communities impacted by Steward’s chapter.

For practically two years, a CBS Information investigation has documented how non-public fairness traders and de la Torre extracted tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} whereas well being care employees and sufferers struggled to get the life-saving provides they wanted. Final month, the corporate closed two Massachusetts hospitals, leaving about 1,200 employees jobless, in response to the state.    

The choice to compel de la Torre’s testimony is extremely uncommon — the final subpoena issued by the committee occurred within the Eighties. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a member of the committee, stated he considers de la Torre to “a fugitive on the run,”

“If he would not present up, he is defying a authorized order that he seem,” Markey instructed CBS Information. “Subsequently he needs to be accountable and held in contempt,” including the committee will work on a bipartisan foundation to find out whether or not de la Torre would face prison or civil penalties for failing to seem. 

Along with congressional scrutiny, Steward is the topic of a prison probe by the Division of Justice. A federal grand jury in Boston is inspecting the compensation, spending and journey of the corporate’s prime executives, together with de la Torre, an individual aware of the matter instructed CBS Information. 

By way of a spokesperson, de la Torre has denied wrongdoing. 

“Dr. de la Torre did all the pieces in his energy to assist Steward Well being Care overcome quite a few business headwinds and challenges, together with personally buying needed gear and provides in an effort to handle the wants of sufferers and personally guaranteeing loans for the corporate along with his property,” the spokesperson stated in an announcement. 

Markey stated he is not shopping for that rationalization, and accused de la Torre, a former cardiac surgeon, of violating his Hippocratic oath. 

“What Dr. de la Torre and personal fairness have perpetrated is one thing that’s so heartless, so merciless, and so dangerous to probably the most weak folks in our society,” Markey stated. 

Louisiana can be house to a Steward hospital, and Cassidy, who can be a medical physician, stated he is been listening to disturbing tales from his constituents about provide shortages on the facility.

“It has been unable to pay its payments, and people are being turned away,” Cassidy stated. “We’re instructed a minimum of one died awaiting switch. Now, take into consideration that. That does not sound like the US of America. 

Cassidy stated he’s dedicated to working throughout the aisle with Markey to deal with a number of the monetary maneuvers that allowed Steward’s traders to revenue as affected person care suffered.  

“Though he is a liberal Democrat and I am a conservative Republican, we’re united in how to ensure folks get the well being care they want,” he stated. 

contributed to this report.

Jon LaPook

Jon LaPook, M.D. is the award-winning chief medical correspondent for CBS Information, the place his reporting is featured on all CBS Information platforms and packages. Since becoming a member of CBS Information in 2006, LaPook has delivered greater than 1,200 stories on all kinds of breaking information and trending tales within the well being and medical fields, in addition to characteristic tales on music, way of life and profiles of leisure stars.