From the CPI
The appointment of a new under-secretary to the Ministry of Health, Félix Rodríguez Schmidt, has remained under the radar, as has Iris Cardona’s departure from that position to remain as director of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program. The change appears to be one of several in the Health scaffold to be announced soon, the agency told the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI).
In 2008, Rodríguez Schmidt, who confirmed to the CPI that he was the medical director of Medical Web Services – a company that sold prescription drugs through websites – was charged with five other doctors in a federal case for providing drugs without a medical purpose. . legitimate, court records show.
The Medical Web Services company pleaded guilty to the crime. Rodríguez Schmidt assured that while the other doctors involved were found guilty, he did not go to court “because his charges were dismissed”. According to the copy of the document he sent to the CPI, the accusation was dismissed without prejudice.
When asked by the CPI if he had made a profit from the sale of these drugs, as per the federal lawsuit, he said, “I don’t remember that document, nor is it in my head.” Later, the CPI insisted that Salud explain a document from the file that said the doctor would pay $ 17,000 as part of the legal process, and the agency said:
“There is a civil claim from the state of Iowa that conveniently agreed to pay the amount of $ 17,000. This was a civil and not a criminal action against Rodríguez Schmidt. And the legal definition of a transaction establishes that neither party accepts responsibility for what is imputed ”.
The case in which Rodríguez Schmidt was charged was a criminal one, but was resolved as a civil case through a settlement. The charges were dismissed, alleging Rodriguez paid Schmidt $ 17,000 through a preliminary diversion agreement signed with the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa on September 24, 2009. fulfilled.
Under his supervision, physicians and pharmacists contracted by the company approved and dispensed more than 175,700 prescriptions in June 2002 and at least through May 2004. According to the documents, Rodríguez Schmidt worked at the company from approximately September 24, 2003 to December 7, 2003.
The pediatrician told the CPI that he did not approve the sale of drugs and claimed that as a medical director he did not know what was happening in the company.
When asked about his duties as Medical Director of Medical Web Services, Rodríguez Schmidt replied that he recruited and supervised employees from various states in the United States. “It was a very broad dynamic,” he added.
According to the indictment, customers registered through one of the websites affiliated with Medical Web Services and ordered prescription drugs after completing a short health questionnaire and providing payment information. Customers did not have to submit a medical order to purchase and their identity was not verified. In most cases, doctors approved prescription drugs without reviewing medical records, the indictment said.
After the doctors approved the distribution of the drugs, Medical Web Services generated their signatures digitally. In this way, the contracted pharmacies downloaded the e-prescriptions, filled the batches and shipped the controlled substances to the customers.
Mellado shows his face for the appointment
“I spoke to him and in the case he had in 2008, he was not charged for anything. It was simply pointed out and he clarified it, ”Mellado told the CPI. “The information I have, according to background checks, is that it doesn’t have a single case at the federal level, ”he added.
The health minister admitted to questions from the CPI that “he” might consider Rodríguez Schmidt his friend. The pediatrician also confirmed their friendship.
‘I’ve known him for a thousand years. I know him as a doctor, personally, as a health worker and as a pediatrician. […] Yes, I can consider it my friend, why not? But I know his professional level, ”said Mellado.
Rodríguez Schmidt stated that he had been interviewed by the Minister of Health to discuss the responsibilities of the position and his background before taking the position.
They keep a low appointment
The agency did not publicly announce the change of command to the undersecretary, although it has been in effect since January 4.
“I have not communicated it. But for whoever asked me, I clarified. There will be a press conference to change the Health scaffold soon and everything will be published, ”said Lisdián Acevedo, a relationship officer at the Department of Health.
Cardona was appointed in May 2020 by the former Health Minister under the latest government, Lorenzo González. Salud only began referring to the pediatrician as the director of the department’s COVID-19 vaccination program in January.
While Mellado assured the CPI that Rodríguez Schmidt began acting as undersecretary in January, at least until February 12, the government represented in legal documents in an access to information case that Cardona was the undersecretary.
On January 4, 2021, the Ministry of Health notified staff internally through a memo that Undersecretary Rodríguez Schmidt, along with Secretary of Administration, Johnny Colón González, would be responsible for appearing and signing agreements, contracts and other documents on behalf of from the office “.
Has at least four contracts with the government
Months before the federal indictment, Rodríguez Schmidt founded the company Bridges for Health on May 3, 2008, according to the State Department’s Registry of Corporations. Two months later, he received a $ 180,000 contract to provide “health-related services” with the Veteran’s Attorney’s Office.
Rodríguez Schmidt admitted to the CPI that he created that company solely to run that office. “I went in to put out the fire in a very difficult situation. There were ugly allegations of theft and embezzlement (which had been established) by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, ”he said.
However, the contract he got with the Veteran’s Attorney’s Office was canceled in 2009. The pediatrician argued this was due to the federal Medical Web Services case in which he was charged.
Although the impeachment statement is dated August 2008, the contract was terminated in May 2009, nine months later, Rodríguez Schmidt said.
The pediatrician said “it was not easy to find a company to run the Veteran’s Attorney’s Office.”
“I didn’t like the situation. In addition, I am a pastor of a church and 20 things, and I did not want to be involved in that situation and we decided to cancel it by mutual agreement, ”said Rodríguez Schmidt.
In a second phone call, the pediatrician said he sued the Veteran’s Ombudsman’s Office for canceling his contract and getting all the money, even though he didn’t offer any services for the duration of the agreement.
The Bridges for Health company was terminated by the State Department on April 16, 2014. According to the government agency, the company failed to meet its annual obligations, such as filing documents or paying its annual fees from 2009 to 2012.
Still, Rodríguez Schmidt continued to do business in Puerto Rico.
In 2011, under the rule of Governor Luis Fortuño, the doctor was contracted for less than a month to provide “administrative advice” to the Ministry of Health for $ 11,000. The contract ran from May 12 to June 30, according to the Comptroller’s Office contract register.
From September 2012 to December 2012, Rodríguez Schmidt was awarded a three-month contract with the Office of the Patient Advocate, for which he received $ 24,000 for “health-related services.” During that period Mellado was the patient ombudsman appointed by Fortuño.
During that period, from August 2012 to June 2013, the new Secretary of State for Health also received another contract to provide “administrative advisory services” to the Department of Health for $ 66,000.
Rodríguez Schmidt is Chairman of the Board of the Ana G. Méndez University System and for the past few years was Medical Director of the Bayamón Correctional Medical Center.
This note has been published in Metro thanks to an alliance with the Center for Investigative Journalism. You can access the original version HERE