CA county seeks to keep healthcare plan audit a secret

Complaints about alleged late payments and poor management prompted the Department of Health Care Services to request that auditors step in and examine the plan's financial condition and claims practices. The Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission, which operates the plan, voted last week to approve a $450,000 contract with BRG, a Berkeley consulting firm, to conduct a three-month review. But at the same time, it also voted to try to keep the findings confidential by saying that they are legal proceedings not open to public scrutiny.