N.C.'s Pardee Hospital's Former Health IT Official Accused of Embezzlement

A former computer network administrator of Hendersonville, N.C.’s Pardee Hospital has been indicted on multiple charges alleging he embezzled $635,000, according to a Times-News report.

Joel Kimble allegedly embezzled funds and stole computer equipment belonging to Pardee from March 2005 through Sept. 2008 by obtaining the equipment through fraudulent warranty claims and then selling some of the equipment for personal profit, according to the report.

Mr. Kimble proposed a core network renovation at Pardee that would require acquiring additional Cisco equipment to supplement already existing Cisco systems at the hospital. Network Hardware Resale, the vendor company Mr. Kimble chose to work with for the core network renovation, discovered that, based on unique Cisco serial numbers, NHR had bought the same network equipment from a third party that NHR had sold to Pardee just one month prior. A formal investigation by the hospital began after NHR reported its findings to the facility.

Through the investigation, the hospital’s management could not find any of the equipment NHR said was sold to Pardee before being resold to a third party. Pardee also found Mr. Kimble had submitted multiple service requests to Cisco for replacement parts on behalf of the hospital between June 2005 and March 2008, resulting in dozens of replacement equipment being shipped either to the hospital or Mr. Kimble’s home. Pardee also found that in approximately 40 percent of the replacement parts that were shipped on behalf of Mr. Kimble’s request, none of the “defective” equipment parts were returned to Cisco, the company that was contracted to work with the hospital, according to the report.

Instead of installing the replacement parts, Mr. Kimble allegedly resold the parts for his own personal gain. As a result of his scheme, Cisco lost approximately $300,000 in fraudulently obtained replacement parts, Pardee lost $315,000 due to computer parts of requisitions of parts that were “stolen, converted or fraudulently obtain,” according to the report.

Read the news report about Mr. Joel Kimble’s alleged embezzlement.

Read other coverage about hospital fraud and abuse:

- Florida’s Memorial Regional Hospital’s Maintenance Managers Charged With Accepting Kickbacks

- Former Purchasing Director at Mount Sinai Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging, Fraud

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