Spitzer’s Next Probe
Bad medicine in Staten Island?
After slapping around Wall Street, Eliot Spitzer’s office has hopped on the Staten Island Ferry. Team Spitzer is investigating Staten Island University Hospital—best known as the home, until recently, of George Harrison’s embattled cancer doctor—for millions in Medicaid fraud dating back to the nineties. According to hospital sources, the attorney general has been playing hardball, seeking board changes. But Spitzer hasn’t yet used one of his favorite tactics: the press conference. Perhaps because there’s still hope for a more amicable announcement. Sources say Michael Dowling, CEO of North Shore– Long Island Jewish Health System, which operates the hospital, recently visited Spitzer to try to resolve the situation. “I’m aware of a Medicaid inquiry, but we are hopeful of a resolution,’’ says Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp. A hospital mouthpiece confirms that “discussions are ongoing.’’
—Beth Landman