VA Loma Linda (Calif.) Healthcare System inappropriately used more than $1 million in patient transportation funding by colluding with ambulance companies from October 2019 to May 2022, Southern California News Group reported Sept. 3, citing a confidential federal report.
The October 2022 report said employees responsible for arranging ambulances or other special transport for patients reportedly did not follow proper contract procurement policies, they approved vendor invoices without review and processed unauthorized payments, potentially for personal gain.
Pieces of evidence in the report "clearly support the existence of inappropriate relationships between VA staff in the past and currently with irresponsible billing/payment oversight, inappropriate information sharing, potential kick-backs to VA employees from vendors, illegal contractual relationships, and potential disallowed staff/vendor relationships," the report said, according to SCNG.
The federal investigators recommended that the report be provided to the VA's Inspector General, which declined to comment about the report's findings.