Upstate Medical finance executive, Brady, retires amid state probe of compensation

SYRACUSE — Steven Brady, senior vice president for administration and finance at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, retired on Wednesday, the school has confirmed.

Upstate Medical is Central New York’s largest employer.

Brady also served as executive director of MedBest Medical Management, Inc., according to a report on the website of the Albany Times-Union, citing an unnamed official.

SUNY administration in Albany has “no comment,” David Doyle, SUNY director of communications, said in an email message to CNYBJ.com.

MedBest Medical Management, located at 251 Salina Meadows Parkway in Salina, was described as “an entity affiliated with the Upstate University Health System” in a letter SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher wrote to former president Dr. David Smith.

Smith resigned Nov. 7 after the school placed him on leave amid “an ongoing review of compensation issues,” the Zimpher letter said.

The letter went on to say “…and that in 2010 you were actively involved in the establishment of a deferred-compensation plan through MedBest Medical Management, Inc. … that to date totals approximately $349,295.59 for you personally, again without my approval.”

The Times-Union cites three public officials familiar with the inquiry as saying several executives at Upstate Medical have received “extra income from outside entities without permission.”

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced Nov. 8 that his office has scheduled an audit of Upstate Medical University’s contracts with MedBest.

Upstate Medical has a $22 million single-source contract with MedBest to provide technical support to implement an electronic-medical record and practice-management system, DiNapoli’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com