Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina should name an interim CEO until criminal charges against its current chief are resolved, the state's insurance commissioner said Sept. 20, according to local news station WRAL.
Health insurance CEO and former CMS administrator Patrick Conway, MD, was charged with driving while impaired and misdemeanor child abuse after a car accident in June. Dr. Conway was arrested after crashing his car into a commercial vehicle. His two daughters were in his car. No one suffered injuries.
After the incident, BCBS of North Carolina stood by its CEO. The insurer recently told The Charlotte Observer: "Our board takes this matter very seriously. Upon learning of the incident in June, it immediately established a committee within the board to review the situation, and engaged outside counsel and experts to aid the process. After careful consideration, the board of trustees decided that Patrick's strong leadership will continue to be an asset and he will remain as president and CEO."
However, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey disagreed with BCBS' choice. In a statement to WRAL, he said: "What is even more alarming is the appearance that the board and executive team worked to hide the arrest from the public's attention — then was almost dismissive of the troubling charges when reported in the news media. One would expect the board and the executive team at [Blue Cross] to be much more accountable, responsible and transparent to their policyholders and to the public at large."
Read the full report here.