According to St. Louis Hospital, Sam Page is just a volunteer

The claim follows months of speculation that Page, an anesthesiologist by profession, violated county statutes by holding down a second job.

Medicaid records obtained by the Post-Dispatch show that Page was compensated at least nine times last year for his work at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital. But when contacted Wednesday, Page insisted he was not paid for his work.

“Anything SLU can bill under my name will help pay for the services of the other members of the anesthesia team,” Page said.

A spokeswoman for SSM Health confirmed Page's statement. Page is not on the payroll, said spokeswoman Maryanne Wallace. He is not paid, she continued. He is a volunteer.

Page's outside activities have been discussed in St. Louis County political circles for weeks. And allegations that Page has a second job surfaced publicly again Tuesday after another incident roiled county government — when the district attorney filed a motion to remove Republican County Councilman Dennis Hancock from office for hiring a relative.

Hancock said he believes the county government is circumventing county laws.

“He should be devoting 100% of his time to his job as a district manager,” Hancock said Tuesday. “If he's stocking food at a food bank, that's one thing. Working in an operating room? That's not volunteer work.”

Councilman Mark Harder, a Republican from Ballwin, said volunteer work is admirable, but it should not get in the way of county business.

“I think there's enough to do as county executive,” Harder said. “I hope he does the work he was elected to do first and then volunteers.”

Page took office in 2019 after the corruption scandal that ousted former County Executive Steve Stenger. Page won the 2020 election, ending Stenger's term.

About a year later, television reports revealed that Page was working part-time as an anesthesiologist at Mercy Hospital. Two Republican council members, Mark Harder and Tim Fitch, accused Page of violating county charter, citing a provision that “requires the county executive to devote his entire time to the duties of his office.”

Harder and Fitch, who is no longer on the council, called for an investigation that Page's office called “political theater.” He never missed a meeting, phone call or other county business because of his part-time job, Page said.

“Like many physicians who hold elected office, it is important to me to maintain my licensure, certification and credentialing,” Page wrote in a letter to Harder in May 2021. “This requires continuing to practice medicine in my spare time, including a minimum presence to care for patients who are ill and need care.”

The council's Ethics Committee, which has a majority of four members and is hostile to Page, decided to officially investigate Page's second job and demanded his work hours and information about any salary.

A battle for information ensued, and the council even voted to subpoena Page's work plan in July 2021.

But the investigation was overturned in April 2022 when county voters approved by 61% a measure prohibiting county commissioners from holding outside jobs. A county commissioner who holds a second job or works as a contractor must resign from office, the charter amendment states.

Page will abide by the charter change, spokesman Doug Moore said the day after the vote.

This year, the Post-Dispatch Pages requested Medicaid claim documents for the period 2023 through July of this year.

Between August 14 and November 13, 2023, Medicaid reported payment of at least nine claims under Page's unique physician identification number as the “provider,” the person directly treating the patient.

There are no state records for 2024.

But Page insisted on Wednesday that he volunteers to supervise residents, assistants and nurses in the hospital's operating rooms.

Some of those patients were covered by Medicaid, and although the hospital filed claims on his behalf, he was not paid for his work, Page said.

Wallace could not immediately explain the Medicaid applications, but confirmed that Page was neither an employee nor paid.

Page said he volunteers about half a day every other week, usually from the afternoon to early evening on a Monday or Wednesday.