BUFFALO (2008-01-07) Claims and counter-claims are being issued following the release of a County audit of Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

Neither Comptroller Mark Poloncarz nor officials at ECMC are suggesting any legal wrongdoing with their allegations; but both sides are accusing each other of significant ethical lapses.

At issue is an audit done of the Sale, Purchase, and Operation Agreement between the County and ECMC Corporation. The findings, according to Poloncarz, reveal certain ethical lapses committed by the Senior Management at the Grider Street hospital over a two-and-a-half year period ending last June.

"It reveals significant issues relating to ECMCC's failure to follow internal controls, legal requires of the SPOA, or even its own by-laws," said Poloncarz.

According to the Comptroller, the audit findings reveal a loosely-run hospital operation and a questionable $50,000 payment the hospital made for an advertisement that, according to the Comptroller, attempted to influence the findings of the Berger Commission report on health care.

Comptroller Poloncarz says the hospital deliberately tried to hide the expenditure.

Officials at ECMC have been quick to respond.

"We're very disappointed by Mr. Poloncarz's conduct today and we're also very suspicious of the timing of this audit, especially in light the recent consolidation talks. This is clearly a political audit that does not focus on the historical turnaround that has happened here at ECMC and the savings to taxpayers," said Hospital spokesman Tom Quatroche.

Quatroche said the audit is based on mis-information and mis-representation of facts.

He said the audit does not, for example, recognize ECMC has made a profit for the last two years and that its beds are full.

Copyright 2008 - WNED