Exodus of leaders continues: 2 more Hacienda HealthCare senior managers resign
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- The exodus of top-level managers continues at Hacienda HealthCare. Last week, a dozen people, including the CEO, CFO, COO, and two board members, either resigned or were fired.
On March 4, two more senior managers turned in their letters of resignation, saying they had no confidence in the new CEO, Perry Petrilli, and remaining board members.
Since March 1, a total of 14 people on Hacienda HealthCare's management team and board are now gone. And there is a clear divide among the provider's top leaders, between the board members and executives.
The board recently fired three top executives, saying they withheld information from the board, but several of those who just quit, say the board was impossible to work with, and believe some members are trying to hide information from them.
Hacienda's director of social services for the past 10 years, and an administrator who had been with the company for the past 17 years, both suddenly quit.
In their resignation letters, they claimed board members and the new CEO "are not acting in the best interest of patients and their employees." Both said they have no confidence in the direction the company is now headed.
>>Full coverage: Hacienda HealthCare Investigation
"I'm disgusted with the board," said Brittany, whose 26-year-old brother is a patient at Hacienda's intermediate care facility.
She too is suspicious, and questions the appointment of Perry Petrilli as acting CEO. He was the director of social services at the ICF when an incapacitated female patient was raped, then surprisingly gave birth.
"How would they appoint Perry Petrilli when he was in charge of the ICF when she was raped.. that young woman," said Brittany.
In a statement, Hacienda officials say Petrilli did not play a role in the care of patients, nor their safety and security. They went on to say that those who were in charge of patients at the time of the rape have been terminated.
But insiders tell FOX 10 they had faith that the fired executives would see Hacienda through this crisis. Now, many are scared for their futures.
"It's a really amazing place. I still love Hacienda," said Brittany.
But she, and some who recently quit, believe the motive of the current leadership is to resist change, to protect themselves, and to continue some type of cover-up.
"A lot of fraud," said Brittany.
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System [AHCCCS] launched a fraud investigation into Hacienda HealthCare in 2016, questioning $3.4 million in suspicious charges billed to the government. Hacienda initially refused to turn over its financial records to state investigators. The fraud investigation is still ongoing.