Jackson Jambalaya

Good work Kingfish. Maybe the state and federal investigation arms of our government should hire you full time instead of sitting by their computers waiting to see what you will post next and reacting to your posts. You are so far ahead of the investigators. Keep up the good work.

There's a reason why JJ is #1!

When I read the lede and first paragraph, I was expecting to see Irwin Mayfield-class malarkey, something that looked like NFL rookie hazing faked checks or what an Ole Miss booster spends recruiting, but from the list of tabs shown, it looks not only reasonable, but almost impossibly low. For example, $19.00 at The Old Ebbitt Grill - that's like an appetizer, tea, tax and a small tip. And $70 at a McCormick and Schmick (for wannabe-players who can't afford the more "serious" steakhouses, for those who don't know what it is)? Again, seems reasonable and exclusive of any significant libation - at most, maybe one cocktail or glass of house. Now, he may be crooked as all getout, but from this list, I don't see it.

Thought this was nothing until I saw the $8.00 at CUPS. That is some serious money and could see how that could drive a man to do something unethical. Thanks for pointing out all the corruption.

Literacy coaches, you know, the folks teaching kids how to read, get a $46 a day meal stipend when they have overnight travel according to the MDE website. So yeah, the taxpayers picking up $70 steak dinner tabs to schoomze crony contracts seems a little excessive. I bet when Carey Wright takes her cronies out to eat they have ChikfilA.

GREAT JOB !!!!!!

Problem is, this guy knows nada about technology. And even if he did, no CEO would need that many visits with a technology vendor. I mean maybe one visit. Two tops

Kingfish, you do a lot of good investigative reporting. I appreciate your diligence. However, I think that you are wasting time and effort on this story. This is nothing compared to an Epps scandal or the Beef Plant or the solar company goat show in Hattiesburg.

First off, Dr. Dzielak received about $3700 in benefit over 4 years. That's less than $1000/year, and half of the $3700 was attributable to a single conference at Cerner HQ in Kansas City. Now, maybe that trip was all about hookers and blow, but let's give the good doctor the benefit of the doubt and assume that he attended some of the educational sessions while he was there.

Secondly, Cerner is one of (if not the largest) health information technology companies on the planet (https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CERN?p=CERN). I know nothing about their population health solutions, but there are probably only a handful of companies around that have the expertise and resources to build a pop health platform that scales to a state level. Cerner would be one of those.

I am accustomed to seeing MS municipalities and state agencies using no-name, fly-by-night vendors that are clearly getting the business due to personal favors, nepotism and palm-greasing (Malachi Financial comes to mind). Cerner is not one of those companies. Like it or not, all-expense conferences and fancy steak dinners are the way most top-tier vendors court their customers. Dr. Dzielak missed out by not engaging one or two of Cerner's competitors and getting double or triple the perks.

Where are all the hoes and strippers and what not? My ole raggedy MIL has been yapping for weeks about what a pos this guy is. Looks pretty clean to me KF.

The Feds have strict rules regarding those who are in positions to approve contracts and their ability for prospective contractors to 'wine and dine' them. They're very strict and violating them leads to termination and possible jail time. Mississippi has turned its nose up to adopting similar rules while other states have embraced them. Why? It's too easy for someone in the fattest state to get a good meal and approve a contract. What a bunch of neanderthals.

However, I think that you are wasting time and effort on this story.

Then move along and let those who want to waste their time do so.

You're onto something Kingfish considering how many apologists have suddenly arrived to defend Dzielak.

Why are we sending another $23 million out of state? Medicaid seems to love doing business with out of state firms.

Just curious. Is there a Medicaid contract that isn't sealed by a protective order?

Like the cautionary twaddlings of 4:26. Just needed a /s at the end to be complete.

WHY ARE THE no bid CONTRACTS SEALED?

The problem here is hiding public documents. Though not required, they should have received several proposals or bids. Wasn’t there a committee a few years ago formed to clean up these contract procedures when the Epps story broke? Was it just a sham job to save face for our elected officials?

The problem here is a “public servant” being wined and dined while on a public salary with public expense reimbursement. No wonder he decided to quickly and quietly move on.

In state contracts the companies that bid get protective orders so their competitors cannot get "proprietary " information. Only certain information can be released.

Mississippi Republicans despise welfare but are consistently at the front of the Federal Welfare line. 23 million dollar, no bid, contract and MS is only responsible for 3.1 million. Who wants to go through the extra effort of competitive bidding and sifting through the details when you are spending someone else's money?

@4:26- Several valid points. Still doesn't excuse a no bid contract for 23 mil

5:42, its because the folks that do this work are all out of state. Very few firms provide this work, and are approvable by CMS. You want to compete, you can go start you a firm, but your first contract won't be in a Medicaid state as large as MS. You might eventually beat out one of the two or three firms and get a contract in VT, or ID.

But first, you would have to learn something about Medicaid - your 10th grade IT class aint gonna cut it.

2:19, get a life other than kissing KF's ass. The reason that the state and federal investigators aren't doing anything here is because there is nothing for them to do. Investigative? BS. Just because an agency director has a cup of coffee and a scone paid for during a breakfast meeting doesn't rock my boat. And those costs in DC are way below what any reasonable dinner would cost, much less 'entertainment'. Even so - don't know where all that expensive 'whining and dining' that this investigative disclosure has shown anything that would require state, or federal, investigators to waste their time. Their business is catching the crooks, not entertaining the black helicopter masses.

"However, the Division changed its tune and said the proposal was an amendment to another contract that was sealed in 2011."

What contract did this amend?

Public never knows about this if Bryant doesn't cancel it.

The Division of Medicaid is in the office of the Governor so if there is a problem it's at his feet.

@926 the fiscal agent contract Medicaid has with Conduent.

One thing caught my eye... Walkers Restaurant for $80... must have ordered an app and water with a free peppermint for dessert

From the report: "The proposal was approved by CMMS."

For those of who don't know, what/who is CMMS?

Cerner is a second rate program anyway...

"The problem here is a “public servant” being wined and dined while on a public salary with public expense reimbursement."

You have been misled. People in these appointed positions are landed gentry. They are NOT 'public servants'. They serve themselves in rewarded, plum positions. But you are correct in that they are on public salary and turn in a travel-expense-reimbursement form at least monthly and typically upon return from one of these junkets.

It would be interesting to see whether he also claimed meal reimbursement from the state at the same time meals were being provided free.

Nothing was said or implied about anything being illegal. Just showing the inner workings of your government.

The higher up the food chain you are in a state agency, the more often you are going to be whined and dined by those pushing contract services, training packages and consultant offerings.

What the hell is so noteworthy or surprising about that?