\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0Impunity: an Introduction <\/b><\/p>\n
We believe that unaccountable leadership is a major cause of health care dysfunction.\u00a0 Impunity<\/a> is an extreme form of unaccountable leadership.<\/p>\n We have noted that despite numerous legal settlements<\/a> made by health care organizations of allegations like fraud<\/a>, bribery<\/a>, and kickbacks<\/a>, But consider two important cases.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Columbia\/HCA CEO Not Held Responsible for Defrauding the Federal Government in 2003<\/u><\/p>\n \u00a0In 2010, we described<\/a> the case of early dominant for-profit hospital system Columbia\/HCA, which, after investigations beginning in the late 1990s, settled charges of defrauding the federal government.\u00a0 The company paid a fine of $1.7 billion, a record amount at that time, but did not admit guilt.\u00a0 More importantly, the company CEO, Rick Scott, was not charged with anything, suffered no negative consequences even though it was on his watch that the company was involved in apparently fraudulent behavior, and retired with a large golden parachute.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Scott then went on to be elected Governor of, then Senator from Florida as a Republican.\u00a0 He is still in the Senate<\/a>, and has become a big supporter for former President Trump.<\/p>\n In 2010 we wrote:<\/p>\n we have noted a parade\u00a0of legal settlements<\/a> involving and guilty pleas and criminal convictions<\/a> Instead, they may just continue to haunt health care and society at large<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n and<\/p>\n as I have repeated seemingly infinitum, we will not deter unethical Purdue Pharma Executives Convicted in 2007<\/u> <\/p>\n In 2007, we made quite a lot<\/a> about criminal convictions for Purdue Pharma, and of three of its executives for the “misbranding” of Oxycontin.\u00a0 (That was just the beginning of the legal problems for Purdue, and other manufacturers and distributors of “legal” narcotics and their contribution to the epidemic of narcotic abuse.)\u00a0 At the time, we marveled that<\/p>\n At least in the Purdue Pharma\/ Oxycontin case top company leaders were Of course, at the time we did not realize that Purdue Pharma was a privately held corporation run largely by the family that owned it, the Sacklers.\u00a0 While the three executives had some responsibility for company operations, they were not as powerful as the top executives of publicly held health care companies, and so their convictions did not really end the impunity even of the top leaders of even one important health care corporation.<\/p>\n Trump Organization CFO to Plead Guilty of 15 Felonies Involving Tax Cheating in New York Court<\/b><\/p>\n Today, as the New York Times reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u00a0One of Donald J. Trump\u2019s most trusted executives stood before a judge on Thursday and pleaded guilty<\/a> As This demonstrates that in 2022, it is still big news if an apparently top corporate executive is convicted of a crime involving his management of the corporation.\u00a0 We have progressed so little.<\/p>\n In particular, we certainly have not yet progressed to the point at which the actual top leaders of big corporations are held accountable for their misbehavior.\u00a0 The Trump Organization is a closely held private corporation.\u00a0 Its top leader is generally acknowledged as Donald J Trump, and its other top leaders are likely his children.\u00a0 None of them so far have been charged in this case.<\/p>\n Donald J Trump as leader of the Trump Organization had a very long record of impunity as leader of the Trump Organization (look here<\/a>).\u00a0 It is possible that had he been held to account for his earlier actions, we might never have run for President of the United States.\u00a0 Trump as President was accused of a long list of conflicts of interest and corrupt acts (look here<\/a>).\u00a0 He has denounced the 2020 election, which he lost, as “rigged” despite no evidence in support of that.\u00a0 He currently is under investigation for leading an insurrection to overturn the election and stage an auto-coup.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b> <\/p>\n We are still haunted, now dangerously haunted, for our failures as a society to hold rich, top business leaders accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n When will we ever learn? Will be learn before it is too late?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0Impunity: an Introduction We believe that unaccountable leadership is a major cause of health care dysfunction.\u00a0 Impunity is an extreme form of unaccountable leadership. We have noted that despite numerous legal settlements made by health care organizations of allegations like fraud, bribery, and kickbacks, almost never do top leaders who presided over these actions face […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101215,240174,117681,117682,240175],"tags":[907,760,4624,597,117684,17389,20179,523],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7079380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-trump","category-hca","category-health-care-corruption","category-impunity","category-purdue-pharma","tag-business","tag-care","tag-haunted","tag-health","tag-impunity","tag-leaders","tag-renewal","tag-rich"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n almost never do top leaders who presided over these actions face any
\nnegative consequences.\u00a0 Lack of deterrence caused by such impunity
\nappears to be a major cause of\u00a0 the epidemic of continuing unethical
\nbehavior, crime<\/a> and corruption<\/a> on the part of large health care organizations. How executives got to the point of having such impunity has never been clear.<\/p>\n
\n by\u00a0 health care organizations, (or often just subsidiaries conveniently
\n available to take the rap).\u00a0 As we have noted, resulting fines may be
\njust be treated as costs of doing business by health care leaders.\u00a0
\nAlmost never have\u00a0the people who authorized, directed, or implemented
\nwrong-doing almost never suffer negative consequences.<\/p>\n
\nbehavior by health care organizations until the people who authorize,
\ndirect or implement bad behavior fear some meaningfully negative
\nconsequences. Real health care reform needs to make health care leaders
\naccountable, and especially accountable for the bad behavior that helped
\n make them rich.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nprosecuted, plead guilty, and will personally have to pay substantial
\nfinancial penalties. Maybe this will convince the leaders of health care
\n organizations that deceptive marketing practices may not be in their
\nlong term interests.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
\n to 15 felonies, admitting that he conspired with Mr. Trump\u2019s company to
\n carry out a scheme to avoid paying taxes on lavish perks \u2014 even while
\nrefusing to implicate the former president himself.<\/p>\n
\n part of the plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney\u2019s office,
\nthe executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, is required to testify at the
\ncompany\u2019s trial if prosecutors choose to call on him, and to admit his
\nrole in conspiring with Mr. Trump\u2019s company to carry out the tax scheme.
\n That testimony could tilt the scales against the company, the Trump
\nOrganization, as it prepares for an October trial related to the same
\naccusations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n