Published June 6, 2025
About This Audit
The Fulton County Medical Center (FCMC) received a letter from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) regarding its eligibility under the Tobacco Settlement Payment program for 2026. The program provides payments to hospitals for uncompensated care. FCMC’s eligibility and potential payment depend on meeting criteria related to their uncompensated care score or extraordinary expense claims. An audit was conducted to verify the facility’s claims data and inpatient days. No potentially eligible extraordinary expense claims were found, but discrepancies in the reported days were identified due to reporting errors. Adjustments are needed in the PHC4 and MA-336 Cost Report databases to avoid inaccuracies. The DHS will use amended data to determine FCMC’s eligibility for the settlement payment. Claims deemed qualifying as self-pay may still be submitted by October 31, 2025. The report was distributed to relevant parties within DHS and FCMC, and it is publicly accessible online.