Blue Shield of California confirmed in a statement Thursday that it “involuntarily terminated” one of its executives, an interim medical director, after learning that she allegedly misrepresented her qualifications.
“We recently learned a former employee misrepresented her name and licensure, and we reported that to law enforcement,” the health insurance company’s statement said.
Some in the San Diego medical community noticed that the name of Tosha Lara-Larios, previously listed as the company’s interim vice president, chief medical officer and medical director of medical management and accreditation, had been removed from the health insurance company’s online senior leadership roster.
But an Internet archive shows that the page previously said that Lara-Larios earned a doctorate of osteopathic medicine, but a search of the licensing database maintained by the Osteopathic Medical Board of California lists no one by that name. And, a nationwide identification search, which includes the contents of myriad government and business documents, turned up no records of that name in any context.
As far as Internet and private searches are concerned, there is no Tosha Lara-Larios, illuminating Blue Shield’s statement that its former executive was less than forthcoming not just about her medical qualifications, but also her legal name.
Blue Shield, which insures about 4.8 million Californians, clearly believed that Lara-Larios was the real deal, issuing a heart health bulletin on Feb. 8 — picked up by some media organizations — that quoted “Dr. Tosha Lara-Larios” directly.
The medical advice given was standard boilerplate: One should maintain one’s heart health through regular exercise, a balanced diet, stress management and not smoking.
The company sought to make it clear Thursday that she did not treat patients while in its employ.
“It’s important to note that, while employed at Blue Shield of California, this person’s role was primarily administrative,” the statement said. “Because this is an active fraud investigation, as well as a personnel matter, we cannot discuss more details at this time.
“We are confident the authorities will conduct a thorough investigation, and we are committed to supporting that effort.”
Blue Shield did not provide additional information on how Lara-Larios managed to circumvent the usual vetting processes that large corporations generally use to make sure that the people they hire, especially those on the highest rungs of the corporate ladder, have been truthful about their qualifications.
