Post: 'SynCare' Loses State Contract; Former Employees Still Unpaid

SynCare in Ballwin lost a state-contract worth millions, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday, less than a month after in a move the company called a "temporary reduction in workforce."

SynCare, a health management company that provides consulting and contract medical services, was hired under the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to help screen Medicaid recipients. The contract was worth $5.5 million, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported.

Health care advocates criticized the company on behalf of patients last week with a bevy of grievances, including hours-long wait times on the phone, decreased services and failing to notify clients about changes to their service.

That  state contract was void at the end of last month, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Steve Giegerich wrote.

On Friday, Aug. 14, SynCare informed 29 employees that their positions were being terminated until late September, when they would be allowed to resume work.

Both Ballwin-Ellisville Patch and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch were contacted by employees after that announcement who said SynCare recently missed a payroll deadline. The Post-Dispatch reported that four employees contacted the newspaper Friday, Sept. 9 saying they still were owed compensation for their final weeks of work.