Finding 957449 (2022-001)

Program U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; COVID-19 - Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural Distribution – Assistance Listing No. 93.498; Grant Period -Year Ended December 31, 2022. Condition Support for and the approval of expenditures of goods and services charged to the PRF program could not be identified. Criteria Controls should be in place to ensure that the expenditures of PRF were used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the effects of COVID-19. Cause The Company’s accounting and financial practices were not well designed. Effect Because of the inadequately designed internal control structure, controls were not in place to ensure that the expenditures of PRF were used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the effects of COVID-19. Recommendation Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center should implement controls to ensure that the procurement and expenditure of goods and services are valid and are allocated and charged to appropriate department and federal program. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions During the period under review, a prior management team was in place. Since that time, the Company’s accounting, payroll, and finance leadership has experienced significant turnover. The current leadership team has worked diligently to address internal control structure of the accounting, payroll, and purchasing processes. The internal control structure is perpetually assessed for additional changes that would enhance internal controls; however, the process continues to prove as a challenge due to the aging accounting system and inherent limitations in the software.