About $24,000 in cash is missing from the Webster County Public Health Department, according to a report released Thursday by the Iowa State Auditor's Office.
Department officials told investigators that former Surgeon General Kari Prescott kept a bank bag in his desk where employees put cash paid by patients for vaccinations and tuberculosis tests. Told. Department officials were to deposit the money with the county treasurer. But auditors determined that about $24,000 was never sent to the treasury, according to the report.
The county asked the Comptroller's Office to review the department's finances after a doctor accused the department of improper billing. Auditors could not confirm the doctor's accusations. However, the report said the investigation also uncovered other irregularities.
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The agency bills insurance companies for many of the vaccinations and tuberculosis tests it provides. However, uninsured patients must pay a fee to the county before receiving services. The department only accepts cash or checks, the report said.
Auditors reviewed reports the department submitted to state officials showing the number of vaccinations and tests administered by county employees from July 2016 to May 2022. Investigators then calculated how much money the county should receive from uninsured patients. Based on this information, the auditor determined the amount that was not passed on to the county treasurer.
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Prescott, who was fired by the Webster County Board of Supervisors in May 2022 following an internal investigation, declined to meet with auditors and declined to comment to the Des Moines newspaper on Thursday, according to the report. The auditors turned over their findings to the Webster County Attorney's Office, the Iowa Attorney General's Office, and the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation. No charges had been filed in state court as of Wednesday morning.
Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll said in a statement that the county “took swift action to investigate reports of alleged misconduct at the Department of Health and assisted the State Auditor's Office with a special investigation.” The county attorney's office has contacted the Iowa Legislature.” The Attorney General's Office and the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation will review the conclusions in the state audit report and determine what further action is appropriate. ”
State audits also detect other wrongdoings
In addition to the missing money, auditors found that department employees received approximately $29,000 for providing family planning services even though they had not completed the required training. The federal government would pay for family planning services, and eligible employees would receive payment for the time they worked. The anonymous employee was paid about $102 an hour, according to the report.
The auditor general also investigated other payments to Mr. Prescott from 2015 to 2022. The county reimbursed Mr. Prescott about $1,600 for the miles he drove, even though the county had no documentation showing why he needed to drive for work. The Board of Audit made the decision.
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Mr. Prescott began working for the health department in 1997 and was promoted to director in 2008. Webster County is approximately 70 miles northwest of Des Moines, and the health department's headquarters are in Fort Dodge, the county seat.
Tyler Jett is an investigative reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact me at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215 or on Twitter. @Let's Jet. He also accepts encrypted messages at tjett@proton.me.
