Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway continues to look into the financial health of rural acute care hospitals as part of her Rural Healthcare Audit Initiative, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
Ms. Galloway in her announcement of audit results for Richmond, Mo.-based Ray County Memorial Hospital, said the initiative aims "to identify key factors impacting facility finances, and offer solutions designed to improve business operations and bolster fiscal solvency."
She told St. Louis Post-Dispatch her office is specifically focusing on critical access hospitals, which may be vulnerable to closure amid increased pressure to reduce costs. She added her office is trying to identify best practices among these rural facilities, including actions taken by hospital boards to improve their organization's financial picture.
Audit results have already started coming in. Some of the first results were for Unionville, Mo.-based Putnam County Memorial Hospital. The audit showed evidence the 15-bed hospital received $90 million in payer reimbursement in less than a year from inappropriate lab billings.
Ms. Galloway told St. Louis Post-Dispatch her office has passed on information to state and federal officials, but hospital officials, according to the report, have said the audit makes a "gross mischaracterization" regarding the payments.
For more on this story, including other audit results released so far, read the full report here.