Partners HealthCare chairman accused of conflict of interest

The chairman of Partners HealthCare, New England's largest healthcare organization, has been accused of conflicts of interest, not so surprising in corporate life, but still noteworthy given the emphasis on such issues these days. The alleged conflicts are a bit indirect, but we'll explain, so bear with us.

First, we have the chairman, Jack Connors, who's run Partners for 13 years. Partners includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, both teaching affiliates of Harvard Medical School.

Members of his elite board tends are known to have financial ties to the organization, all of which have been publicly disclosed. The problem, some detractors say, is Connors himself has failed to disclose potential conflicts, notably the relationships his former company had with Harvard.

Connors previously owned M/C Communications, the largest commercial provider of CME courses to doctors between its launch in 1994 and 2004, when he sold it. M/C Communications benefited a great deal from an exclusive relationship it had with Harvard, raking in millions from drugmakers who paid to reach the Harvard audience.

Connors argues that he was under no obligation to disclose ownership of M/C to the Partners board, since Harvard and the two Partners hospitals don't have a contract. However, some board members aren't buying this. We'll see how it all falls out, but my bet is Connors will lose some stature.

To learn more about this controversy:
- read this piece from The Boston Globe