Blue Shield of California has fired a top executive for allegedly lying about her medical credentials, a spokesperson for the company told Becker's.
Tosha Lara-Larios was previously interim vice president, chief medical officer and medical director of medical management and accreditation at the insurer. Blue Shield of California told Becker's the company learned a former employee "misrepresented her name and licensure" and reported the matter to law enforcement.
Ms. Lara-Larios is listed as a doctor of osteopathic medicine on an archived version of Blue Shield of California's corporate leadership page. There is no record of Ms. Lara-Larios in the licensing database of the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported June 21.
Ms. Lara-Larios did not treat patients, and her role was primarily administrative, a Blue Shield of California spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"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," the spokesperson said.
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