Blue Shield of California has fired a senior executive it alleges misrepresented her name and professional credentials, the insurer said Friday.
The nonprofit company "involuntarily terminated" Dr. Tosha Lara-Larios and reported her to law enforcement for fraud, a Blue Shield spokesperson wrote in an email. The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported her termination.
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According to a news release Blue Shield issued in February, Lara-Larios served as vice president, chief medical officer and interim medical director of medical management and accreditation. The news release said she held a doctorate of osteopathic medicine. As of Feb. 27, Blue Shield’s website listed Lara-Larios with the same titles and degree, according to a version of the page captured by the Wayback Machine, which archives websites.
The Blue Shield spokesperson declined to comment on how long Lara-Larios worked at the insurer, how the company discovered the alleged falsehoods or what her job responsibilities were. “It’s important to note that, while employed at Blue Shield of California, this person’s role was primarily administrative,” the spokesperson wrote.
Modern Healthcare was unable to contact Lara-Larios.
The California Department of Consumer Affairs provider licensure database, which is maintained by the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, does not list anyone with the names Tosha Lara-Larios or Tosha Larios.
The Arizona State Board of Podiatry Examiners renewed a podiatry license for a person named Tosha Klotzbach-Larios in May 2018. Provider directories such as Zocdoc, WebMD and Healthgrades show Tosha Larios, Tosha Klotzbach-Larios or Tosha Klotzbach as a practicing podiatrist in Prescott, Arizona. The California Department of Consumer Affairs website does not include anyone with the names Tosha Klotzbach-Larios or Tosha Klotzbach, either.
Public records show a person named Tosha Larios previously was a senior executive at Magellan Health, including while Centene was its owner.
Tosha Larios was vice president, chief operating officer and interim president at Magellan Health, according to a December 2021 filing with the California Department of Managed Health Care. The document describes Larios as a doctor of podiatric medicine, a master of public health and a master of business administration.
At a California Public Employees' Retirement System meeting in December 2019, CalPERS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julia Logan identified Larios as chief operating officer of California markets at Magellan. “I am dual board certified in primary care and rare foot surgery. I spent 13 years in the military, so I continue my active reserve as a primary care provider,” Larios said, according to a transcript. The Congressional Record shows the Senate confirmed Tosha Klotzbach's promotion to lieutenant commander in the Navy in 2013.
Magellan Health and Centene did not immediately respond to interview requests.
