EDMONTON – Alberta taxpayers shelled out more than $7,000 so a high-ranking health executive could get a second opinion on her cancer diagnosis at the renowned Mayo Clinic — even after she was treated and cured in the public health system she operated.
Michele Lahey was vice-president of Capital Health when her boss, CEO Sheila Weatherill, told her to get the second opinion to “make sure” she was clear of cancer. Lahey made the trip to Rochester, Minn., in January 2007.
Lahey said Weatherill also offered to pay for the consultation, a move that circumvents the Out-Of-Country Health Services Committee to which regular Albertans must apply before seeking international medical treatment.
Documents show taxpayers footed the $5,215 bill for the visit to the Mayo and paid for Lahey’s two-night stay at the Marriott Hotel, rental of an in-room movie and all her meals, which included a $150 tab at Creative Cuisine.
The restaurant bills itself as the “best in town.” Lahey finished the meal with a crème brûlée.
“These claims are not true. The facts are that I was diagnosed with cancer and was treated and very well cared for in my own hospital,” Lahey said in a statement Tuesday morning.
“Like thousands of Albertans I am extremely grateful for the excellent care I received from the dedicated team of skilled doctors, nurses and support staff.”
“Even though I thought I was cured, my boss subsequently told me to get a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic and paid for one consultation to make sure I was clear. Of course, I have always been open about this and have no problem with anyone knowing the costs or the issues.”
Lahey subsequently left Alberta and is now CEO of the private Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London, England.
Records obtained by the Wildrose party through freedom-of-information laws show the total bill for the trip six years ago was $7,223. Credit card records show payment was made to the Mayo Clinic’s Gonda Vascular Centre, which treated diseases of the arteries and veins.
“Attached please find a summary of expenses for my visit to the Mayo Clinic,” Lahey wrote in an April 10, 2007, memo to Weatherill and former chief financial officer Allaudin Merali, both of whom were forced to resign after an expense scandal in 2012.
“You had previously indicated that Capital Health will reimburse me for these expenses,” Lahey wrote.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith made the documents public Monday and called for a full investigation.
“Here we have a senior executive in the former Capital Health Region expensing what certainly looks like medical services to skirt the long wait times in Alberta,” Smith alleged.
Alberta Health Services would neither confirm nor deny Smith’s allegations. Spokesman Kerry Williamson said Monday the health authority “isn’t going to speculate or comment on the past.”
Williamson provided the following statement:
“This was an expense approved by the former Capital Health Authority.
AHS is not responsible for decisions of the former health regions.
The Capital Health expenses noted were publicly released following a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The expenses were posted on the AHS website on March 28 and are a matter of public record.
Alberta Health Services has a new, stringent policy for permissible and appropriate expenses. The new policy was created to tighten limits and guidelines on appropriate expenses and is among the most comprehensive in the country. This type of expense would not be permissible under the AHS policy.
AHS publicly discloses expense record for the AHS Board, the President and CEO, direct reports to the CEO and several other senior positions. Those reports are available publicly on the AHS website.”
On Monday, Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk told the legislature the expenses “probably are legitimate.” He called the allegations “imaginary” and said: “If there was a problem, we would deal with that problem.”
However, after learning the expenses were not legitimate Tuesday, Lukaszuk admitted he was wrong.
“I was wrong because I didn’t have the information that is now available today,” he said Tuesday afternoon.”I am troubled by the activities that appear to have happened at that point in time.”
Also on Monday, Health Minister Fred Horne said the allegations remained unproven and did not ask AHS to investigate.
However, Horne changed his stance Tuesday, saying the expenses were “very, very wrong.”
“I can understand why Albertans would be offended, I’m offended about it. After the new information came to light this morning where the individual confirmed that the report was true, I checked with our legal counsel, and unfortunately, our legal counsel informs me there’s really no way to recover that money.”
Both Lukaszuk and Horne maintain this type of activity would not happen today.
“With a high degree of confidence, I can tell you that processes that are now in place would prevent it from happening right now,” Lukaszuk said.
“I can stand here as your health minister today, and I can tell you that the rules and the procedures in place are not what they were in 2007. They are up to the standard that Albertans would expect and this cannot happen again,” Horne added.
With files from The Edmonton Journal.
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