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Did Columbia/HCA officials destroy subpoenaed documents?posted 8-15-97 A federal prosecutor said some Columbia/HCA officials may have destroyed documents associated with the U.S. government’s investigation into possible Medicare fraud by the healthcare corporation, according to the Aug. 14 issue of the Wall Street Journal. The paper reported Kathleen Haley, the assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the government's Columbia case in Florida, as saying "An attempt to destroy documents has already occurred." She went on to add that the government’s investigation was bolstered by evidence obtained by some cooperative Columbia employees who assisted in gathering evidence for the government, including wearing hidden microphones and taping conversations with Columbia officials. Officials from Columbia declined to comment on the allegations, which were made during a federal court hearing in Tampa, Fla. The next day, however, the Journal reported Columbia’s new chairperson and chief executive, Thomas Frist, Jr., MD, was setting up a hotline to take calls from employees who had information about possible illegal activities, including the destruction of corporate records subpoenaed by federal investigators. Frist replaced former CEO Richard Scott, who was ousted out of the company July 25. Since then, several other members of the company’s executive team have resigned. Related Stories Related Site
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