CLEVELAND — The MetroHealth Board of Trustees announced it fired former MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros on Monday over allegations that he self-authorized $1.9 million in bonuses, but Boutros responded to his firing.
His attorney said Boutros ended his contract earlier this month after the hospital violated it and he is threatening legal action.
“Falsehoods and misinformation,” Boutros said about the allegations.
He said he wanted to set the record straight.
“I did not decide my bonus structure. It is the board of directors’ policy that decides my bonus structure,” he said.
Boutros was MetroHealth’s president and CEO for nearly 10 years, set to retire at the end of this year on Dec. 31.
“This is the saddest day of my career,” he told Spectrum News on Tuesday.
On Monday night, the MetroHealth Board of Trustees said it terminated him after an investigation reportedly uncovered he self-authorized $1.9 million in supplemental bonuses between 2018 and 2022.
“It’s clearly orchestrated to create an impression of wrongdoing here,” said Boutros. “When I got called to be told I was terminated, I was completely flabbergasted.”
According to Boutros and his attorney, MetroHealth’s Performance Based Incentive Program began in 2014 and allowed eligible employees, including the president and CEO, bonuses based on system and individual performance. They said compensation is determined by a formula set by the board and health system leadership team.
“Every aspect of this is numerically driven. It is the same for me as for everybody else,” said Boutros.
But part of the statement from MetroHealth said, “The board of trustees did not delegate to Dr. Boutros the authority to self-evaluate his performance against metrics never disclosed to the board, and then authorize supplemental bonus payments for himself in amounts never disclosed to the board.”
Boutros said he was the only employee asked to repay those bonuses.
When a concern was recently brought up, he self-reported to the Ohio Ethics Commission and volunteered to repay the bonuses.
“They ambushed me and made me to believe that they were going to be trustworthy in how they do these things,” he said. “And here they go and they conducted themselves in a manner that I find reprehensible.”
Dr. Akram Boutros. (Photo courtesy of MetroHealth)
He said he believes the current situation is retaliation for something that happened in July.
That’s when he questioned why some board members were discussing the selection of the new CEO, Dr. Airica Steed, outside of public meetings.
“And I implored them to tell the board members not to conduct themselves in that way,” he said. “They can put the selection process in jeopardy. And then within a week, 10 days, this is the first time I hear of any issues regarding my compensation in 10 years while the program has been going on since 2014. I think it’s a little suspicious.”
Boutros repaid the hospital system more than $2.1 million for the bonuses, plus interest.
He said he requested the money be put in escrow, but a statement from his attorney said MetroHealth’s attorney refused and, “He began intimidation tactics and used blatantly discriminatory language and tropes based on Dr. Boutros’ national origin in his effort to coerce Dr. Boutros to repay earned compensation and hundreds of thousands of dollars he never received from MetroHealth.”
“A terrible comment regarding which banks I am transferring the money from. I think I believe it has to do with me being Middle Eastern and he wanted to make sure that the money was not coming from some foreign banks,” said Boutros.
He is now seeking legal action against MetroHealth.
“For the retaliation, for the discrimination, for coercion in making me pay money back that no one else was asked to pay,” he said. “There are a lot of claims here.”
Boutros said he also contacted the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ohio Ethics Commission regarding allegations of violations of Ohio’s Sunshine Laws by the MetroHealth’s Board of Trustees.
In response to the allegations against Boutros, the prosecutor’s office told Spectrum News, “Our office is in contact with the Ohio Ethics Commission to review the matter.”
“I don’t believe I have done anything,” Boutros said. “The reason I went to the Ohio Ethics Commission is I believe that once they complete their analysis, they’re going to show that I have done nothing wrong, nothing unethical, nothing criminal or anything else.”
Boutros said he can’t say much about what’s next for him, but he never planned to retire from work altogether after stepping down as MetroHealth’s CEO.
He said he was about to move onto a national effort to improve health care.
“That’s now definitely in question as a result of these actions,” he said.
Boutros said he was hopeful for a smooth transition of leadership to MetroHealth’s new CEO Dr. Airica Steed, but he now worries about maintaining the community’s trust in the health system.
“My legacy of caring for the community is cemented,” he said.
“My reputation has been severely damaged by this,” said Boutros.
Steed will take over as MetroHealth’s president and CEO one month earlier than originally planned. She will now begin Dec. 5.
Full statements from MetroHealth and Boutros’ attorneys can be read here.
