Michael Drobot
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Michael Drobot is a
convicted felon A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...
who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest fraud in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
’s history. In 2018, he was sentenced for "overseeing a 15-year-long healthcare fraud scheme" involving over $40 million in illegal kickbacks and $500 million in fraudulent medical bills. The scheme involved bribing physicians to ensure "patients received surgeries at Pacific Hospital, not knowing that
robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
bribed their physician to perform their surgery at Pacific Hospital." Between 1978 and 2013, Drobot managed 28 hospitals along the East Coast, including the Mount Sinai Roosevelt in
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(formerly the Roosevelt Medical Center). At the time of his crimes and arrest, he owned Pacific Hospital in
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
(now College Medical Center).


Career


Early years in hospital administration

Drobot spent his early years in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, before joining the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. During his time in the Navy, Drobot managed the Naval Hospital in
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Drobot earned an MBA in
hospital administration Health administration, healthcare administration, healthcare management, health services management or hospital management is the field relating to leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hos ...
from
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
and began a career in hospital management.


Healthcare administration in California

Drobot's Concept Health Group, Inc. acquired the Healthcare Medical Center of
Tustin Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city does not include the unincorporated community of North Tustin. History Pres ...
in July 1990. Drobot had been the executive director of Healthcare Medical Center from 1980 to 1984. Under Drobot, Concept Healthcare expanded the hospital’s services deeper into the
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area and added new centers for
oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...
and
sports medicine Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...
. Drobot's longest association was with Pacific Hospital of
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, which he owned and managed from 1997 to 2013, when it was sold to
Molina Healthcare Molina Healthcare, Inc. is a managed care company headquartered in Long Beach, California, United States. The company provides health insurance to individuals through government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. History Molina Healthcar ...
and became College Medical Center. During his tenure as CEO, the hospital implemented measures to improve infection control, and was recognized by the Southern California Patient Safety First (SCPSF) initiative for reducing sepsis mortality and hospital-associated infection rates between 2010 and 2012. In 2009, the hospital received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. However, these achievements were later overshadowed by Drobot's criminal activities, which significantly impacted the hospital's reputation. In 2013, Pacific Hospital of
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
was accredited by National Integrated Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for meeting its standards of patient care and quality management. The same year, the hospital was also designated as ISO 9001:3008 compliant b
DNV Healthcare
an accreditor of US hospitals integrating ISO 9001 quality compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation.


Convictions and lawsuits

During a criminal investigation in February 2014, Drobot was charged by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
in connection with organizing a broad scheme and providing unauthorized payments. As part of the indictment, Drobot was charged with bribing Senator Ron Calderon to preserve California’s “spinal pass-through law.” Senator Calderon was separately indicted by the FBI for accepting bribes and kickbacks from Drobot and others. Drobot signed a plea agreement to cooperate in the government’s ongoing investigation of Senator Calderon and his brother, Tom Calderon, and also into the healthcare fraud scheme known as Operation Spinal Cap. In October 2014, Drobot and his business partners were sued for using counterfeit screws and hardware in spinal surgeries performed at Pacific Hospital and other area hospitals. At a court hearing on February 20, 2015,
Los Angeles Superior Court The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the California Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The Superior Court operates 36 courthouses throughout the county. Curr ...
Judge Elihu M. Berle rejected the claims against the group, as in 29 out of 32 cases, the plaintiffs were not treated at Pacific Hospital. In October 2014, Drobot filed a $50 million
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
suit against attorneys Brian Kabateck and Robert Hutchinson and the law firms of Kabateck Brown Kellner, Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy and Knox Ricksen. In April 2015, Drobot and his company Healthsmart Pacific, Inc. filed a lawsuit against 30 individuals and their attorneys for claiming that Drobot and Healthsmart’s former hospital, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, harmed them via a counterfeit screw conspiracy. Drobot agreed to cooperate fully with prosecutors in a case that U.S. attorney’s office spokesman Thom Mrozek described as 'active and ongoing." In 2018, Drobot was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $10 million to the federal government in forfeiture. Subsequently, federal prosecutors further charged him with wire fraud, among other crimes, to which Drobot pled guilty in 2019. His house and other assets were then seized by the government. Drobot was released from prison in February 2023. On July 14, 2023, Drobot was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for accepting more than $315,000 in bribes and kickbacks.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drobot, Michael Businesspeople from Detroit George Washington University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people