An audit of the independent agency tasked with promoting transparency and equity in the state’s health care system found that the agency failed to monitor the financial conditions of several acute care hospitals and health systems, according to a report from the Office of the State Auditor .
During the audit period, which covered from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023, the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) never collected audited financial statements from 10 acute care hospitals, including Heywood Hospital in Gardner and Athol Memorial Hospital , according to State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.
Heywood Healthcare, which operates both hospitals, filed for bankruptcy in 2023. Officials said the hospitals were unable to provided audited financial statements for 2021 through 2023 due to a failed EMR (electronic medical record) system that was implemented in Feb. 2021, according to Rozanna Penney, president and CEO of Heywood Healthcare…