Audit of UMass Memorial Health Care Inc. (November 4, 2025)
November 4, 2025 · UMass Memorial Health Care Inc. · Read the full official report on mass.gov ↗
Published November 4, 2025 Audit covers July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2023 Under Diana DiZoglio · 2023–present
source
“UMMH could not provide accounting records to document how it spent $6.2 million in grants from EOHHS.”
Read the plain-English breakdown
This is a Massachusetts State Auditor performance audit of UMass Memorial Health Care covering certain activities from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
“In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of certain activities of UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMH) for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.”
The audit checked whether UMass Memorial used certain grant funds properly and whether it followed rules for maternity services and birth reporting.
“The purpose of this audit was to determine the following:”
The report says public money and public health data are at stake: grant funds should be traceable, and birth data helps officials understand health needs and disparities.
“The birth data that DPH collects from hospitals, such as UMMH hospitals, can be used by stakeholders, such as medical scholars and public health professionals, to understand population trends, identify health disparities, and inform policy decisions.”
If you live in central Massachusetts, this matters because the report links the issues to access to maternity care, MassHealth patients, and accountability for taxpayer-funded grants.
“By not investing this money in its maternity center workforce, UMMH has created a health disparity for its patients, of whom 20% are MassHealth members, because of a lack of access to maternity care in the central Massachusetts region.”
The auditor concluded UMass Memorial did not meet the audit objective for EOHHS grant spending and did not meet part of the objective for reporting births to DPH.
“No; see Finding 1”
The auditor recommended that UMass Memorial keep better grant records, use taxpayer-funded grants to maintain essential services, reassess maternity care needs, and document birth reporting and reconciliation.
“UMMH should ensure that it reports all births occurring in its hospitals to DPH within 10 days and maintain documentation to show this.”
The report is significant because it says a major healthcare provider received nearly $100 million in public COVID-19 assistance during the audit period, while the auditor found weak documentation for one $6.2 million grant and for sampled birth reporting.
“During the audit period, UMMH received a total of $99,886,925 in state and federal public assistance grants for the purpose of COVID-19 relief.”
EOHHS means the state health and human services agency; DPH means the Department of Public Health; MassHealth is Massachusetts’ Medicaid program for eligible lower-income residents and others.
“MassHealth provides access to healthcare for approximately 2.4 million eligible children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities, all of whom have low or moderate income.”
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What the Auditor checked
- Did not comply Did UMMH spend grant funds from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in accordance with Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2021 and its Payment Agreement with EOHHS?
- Complied Did UMMH spend grant funds it received from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in accordance with the associated grant applications?
- Did not comply Did UMMH provide inpatient maternity services to MassHealth members, specifically documenting services, nurse staffing, and reporting births to DPH within 10 days?
What the Auditor found
Why it matters: The auditor found that UMMH may have missed an opportunity to use taxpayer-funded grants to maintain essential maternity care services, contributing to health disparities and reduced access to maternity care in central Massachusetts.
Standard: Section 71(d) of Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2021 and Section 2 of the Payment Agreement between EOHHS and UMMH. ( Section 71(d) of Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2021; Section 2 of the Payment Agreement between EOHHS and UMMH )
3 recommendations
- UMMH should maintain detailed accounting records and maintain an audit trail to show when state or federal grant revenue is received and what expenses are incurred in association with grant revenue.agency: disagreed
- UMMH should use taxpayer-funded grants to invest in maintaining operations of essential services.agency: disagreed
- UMMH should reassess the need for maternity care in communities served by HealthAlliance Clinton Hospital and work to mitigate health disparities caused by lack of access.agency: disagreed
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "The Auditee respectfully disagrees with Finding 1."
Auditor: "We find this statement troubling, as we have found UMMH’s unprecedented, more than year-long resistance to our audit."
Why it matters: Incomplete or unsupported birth reporting can impair public health data used to track birth outcomes, identify health disparities, and inform policy decisions.
Standard: 105 CMR 305.020 and 105 CMR 130.370(F). ( Section 305.020 of Title 105 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations; 105 CMR 130.370(F) )
2 recommendations
- UMMH should ensure that it reports all births occurring in its hospitals to DPH within 10 days and maintain documentation to show this.agency: disagreed
- UMMH should document the annual birth reconciliation process with DPH and maintain documentation of it.agency: disagreed
Agency response & Auditor reply
Agency: "The Auditee respectfully disagrees with Finding 2."