Keystone Today

On May 4, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor announced the release of tobacco settlement fund audits for various health care facilities spanning 10 counties statewide.

According to a Pennsylvania Auditor General News Release, the audits were for Blair, Bradford, Chester, Clarion, Fayette, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. This is through the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) of 1998, where Pennsylvania, along with 45 other states and six territories, signed on to settle lawsuits against tobacco companies.

“These audits make sure hospitals have documentation to support the receipt of tobacco settlement funds prior to receiving reimbursement for uncompensated care,” DeFoor said, according to the news release.

The state Tobacco Settlement Act was enacted in 2001 and allocated billions of dollars in settlement funds to go to hospitals providing care to patients who were uninsured.

Audit reports have been released for the following facilities and counties: Blair County (Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona), Bradford County (Guthrie Troy Community Hospital), Chester County (Devereux Children's Behavioral Health Center), Clarion County (Clarion Hospital), Fayette County (Uniontown Hospital), Lackawanna County (Allied Services Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine), Lancaster County (Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital), Lehigh County (Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital), Montgomery County (Holy Redeemer Hospital), Montgomery County (Einstein Medical Center Montgomery) and Philadelphia County (Belmont Behavioral Hospital), Philadelphia County (Kensington Hospital).

To view the audit reports, visit the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General.