Alberta Surgical Group says it did nothing wrong regarding health contracts

A privately owned surgical firm in Alberta said Friday it is “deeply shocked and dismayed” by what it describes as false allegations levelled by the provincial health authority’s former chief executive, including her claims that she was pressed to sign a contract with the company despite concerns over inflated costs.Les Scheelar, Alberta Surgical Group’s chief executive and medical director, issued a statement after The Globe and Mail this week reported Athana Mentzelopoulos, in a letter her lawyer sent to her former employer, alleges that government officials pressed her to sign new deals for chartered surgical facilities, including an extension for ASG. Ms. Mentzelopoulos alleges, in the Jan. 20 letter, this interference came despite significant concerns within Alberta Health Services around the true ownership and costs of CSFs and concerns over “significantly increased” costs of a proposed new deal with ASG.