Report: Trump appointee exaggerated experience at St. John's in Joplin

President Donald Trump's appointee to head the U. S. Indian Health Service has come under fire for exaggerating his Joplin professional experience.

The Wall Street Journal originally reported last week that Robert Weaver, 39, worked from 1997 to 2006 at St. John's Regional Medical Center, but co-workers did not remember him having the responsibilities and position he claimed, with most not remembering him at all.

Weaver's resume claims he worked at St. John's in various capacities, including "managing all accounts receivable, budgets, patient access and physician recruitment."

A former controller of the hospital told the newspaper, "I've never heard that name before."

Another executive said he remembered "a subordinate named Rob Weaver who registered E.R. patients, gathered insurance information and collected copays, and who eventually supervised a few other patient-registration workers," according to the Journal.

The Department of Health and Human Services sent the Journal an e-mail from the only official who appears to recall Weaver's experience as Weaver does, former Chief Operating Officer Dottie Murphy, but even her e-mail, which ended with a ringing endorsement of Weaver for the federal position, does not quite match what is on his resume.

Mr. Weaver served in various leadership roles which were within my line of authority. Mr. Weaver possessed great leadership skills and provided oversight for responsibilities including great communication, organizational skills, problem solving skills as well as the ability to work well with others. These skills served him well in his various roles which required oversight of many other team members.

"When Mr. Weaver started at our facility he was a young man who was only a year out of high school. He rapidly became a person others respected and sought out for advice and help dealing with operational issues within the facility. In my time working with Rob Weaver, I was also impressed with his tenacity and willingness to take on new assignments and duties which he performed exceptionally well.

"I fully believe Mr. Weaver is qualified to lead Indian Health Services. I give him my full support."

Weaver says his employment records, which could verify his positions, were destroyed in the May 22, 2011 tornado.

Weaver's apparent lack of an administrative background in health is a concern since of the 10 previous heads of the Indian Health Service only one did not have a medical background and that one had managed a large health care company and had degrees in public administration.

For the past decade, Weaver, a Quapaw, Oklahoma resident, has owned and operated RWI Benefits, a tribal health insurance provider. He appears to have come on the Trump Administration's radar through a paper that called for increase funding for tribal health, but also was highly critical of the Affordable Care Act.

Weaver attended Missouri Southern State University from 1996 through 2001, studying international business with an emphasis in marketing and accounting.

If approved, he will go from operating a $10 million a year business to a federal program with a $6 billion budget.