February 28, 2024
Central Health, Travis County’s publicly funded hospital district, has received a clean audit for its fiscal year 2023 financial statements.
Maxwell Locke & Ritter, an independent, Austin-based audit firm, issued an unmodified, or “clean,” opinion on Central Health’s audited financial statements for fiscal year 2023. This means Central Health’s financial statements were accurately reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Central Health has received a clean opinion every year dating back to fiscal year 2005, its first year of operation.
“I couldn’t be prouder to join a team like Central Health, where community trust and financial transparency are bedrock beliefs,” said Dr. Pat Lee, Central Health’s president and chief executive officer. “A clean financial audit by an independent third-party reflects the highest level of financial reporting, and a commitment to this community that we are – and will always be – outstanding stewards of public dollars.”
An unmodified opinion is the best opinion that can be received on audited financial statements and is the highest level of assurance available. In addition, the audit firm reported no instances of material weaknesses in internal controls and no instances of non-compliance required to be reported under governmental auditing standards.
“Earning a clean audit requires meticulous attention to detail every day of the year by our entire financial team,” said Jeff Knodel, Central Health’s chief financial officer. “It’s a confirmation that Central Health is following the necessary controls and processes to accurately report our annual financial results to the community.”
Maxwell Locke & Ritter began the audit following the conclusion of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2023. The Central Health financial statements also include those of the hospital district’s affiliates, CommUnityCare Health Centers and Sendero Health Plans. A separate audit for each affiliate was conducted independent of the Central Health audit. Both entities also received clean audit opinions for their annual financial statements.
The financial statements and accompanying audit report were prepared according to accepted accounting principles and government auditing standards. The report is a culmination of examining processes and internal controls related to financial reporting and the final audited financial statements prepared by Central Health. All Central Health’s audits are posted at centralhealth.net.