UPDATED 11:50AM | It has been confirmed by FBI spokesperson Laura Emiller that a search warrant was served today for possible allegations of fraud at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, but she was unable to provide further details, saying that the search was sealed by the court.
Though the nature of the possible allegations are still unclear, agencies that are also involved in the investigation include the IRS, California Department of Labor, California Department of Insurance, USPS Inspector General’s Office and the DCIS.
Given the number of agencies involved, it appears that the incident being investigated today is larger in scope than the self-reported employee fraud discovered by the hospital in 2009, which was investigated by local law enforcement and the California Department of Public Health
Pacific Hospital has yet to return calls for comment.
ORIGINAL 10:30AM | FBI and IRS agents arrived this morning at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach to serve a warrant as part of an investigation involving possible fraud against the insitution.
According to the Press-Telegram, the warrant was served at 8AM this morning and agents were reportedly looking through computer files.
{loadposition latestnews} In 2010, the hospital was fined $225,000 for a self-reported fraud incident in which an employee had obtained patients’ personal information–including names and social security numbers–and used it to open fraudulent telephone service accounts.
Even though the employee was terminated from the hospital in 2009 and the hospital worked closely with law enforcement on the case, Pacific Hospital was fined by the California Department of Public Health, which alleged that the facility “failed to prevent unauthorized access.”
“Our hospital takes patient safety very seriously and has done nothing wrong,” a statement from Pacific Hospital public relations director Laura Salas said at the time. “At Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, we work diligently to serve our community by continually monitoring and improving patient safety programs and are proud of our ability to keep patient information safe from access by unauthorized persons.”
It is not known if that case is related to today’s warrant. More to come.
Additional reporting by Sarah Bennett
Pacific Hospital is located at 2776 Pacific Ave.
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