Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a former emergency medicine physician, resigned last Friday amid allegations that his administration steered consulting contracts toward his fiancée.
Kitzhaber, who was just re-elected to his fourth term, has steadfastly denied those allegations.
“The questions that have been raised about my administration—specifically allegations against me concerning the work done by my fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, and the contracts she obtained during my last term—and the escalating media frenzy that has stemmed from this has clearly reached the point of no return,” Kitzhaber said in a news release.
Kitzhaber topped Modern Healthcare's list of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders in 2013 after Oregon received CMS approval in 2012 for $1.9 billion to transform its healthcare system.
His star was tarnished with the disastrous 2013 rollout of the Cover Oregon health insurance exchange.
