Republic reporter wins national award for stories about Modern Vascular
Arizona Republic investigative reporter Andrew Ford won a third place prize from the Association of Health Care Journalists for his coverage of Modern Vascular, a Phoenix area company that spread rapidly across the country, but was sued by clients and the U.S. Department of Justice for endangering lives, and allegedly bilking Medicare and breaking federal anti-kickback rules.
Ford’s stories traced the history of Dr. Scott Brannan, from his upbringing in a Cottonwood mobile home park to prison for trafficking marijuana, from the University of Arizona to operating rooms where he concentrated on clearing blockages in the lower leg.
Along the way, Brannan teamed up with Yuri Gampel, a Soviet Ukrainianborn chiropractor who had purchased 10 condos in the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama, a sail-shaped waterfront property reportedly tied to money laundering.
Together the two men ended up opening 17 clinics in 10 states, but their drive for profits quickly outweighed their Hippocratic oath. Patients were maimed and some died after unnecessary surgeries, leading to lawsuits. In turn, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit accusing Modern Vascular of violating federal anti-kickback laws by compensating podiatrists and other doctors for referrals and ripping off Medicare to the tune of $50 million.
Modern Vascular denied the claims, saying it helps patients avoid amputations every day.
In its announcement of this year’s winners, the Association of Health Care Journalists said that they received more than 400 entries and that the winners represented “the best health reporting in print, broadcast and online media.”
Blood and Money was recognized in the small division investigative category.
Ford originally got the tip for the story on Modern Vascular from a reader who saw a biographical article about him in The Republic.