Investigation of Blackfoot, ID Hospital to be Performed by Idaho Attorney General's Office

The Idaho Attorney General’s office is set to take over a criminal investigation of Bingham Memorial Hospital, located in Blackfoot, ID.  The investigation comes following a tort claim by the hospital against four former employees who have alleged certain hospital administrators asked employees to perform inappropriate conduct.

According to an Idaho Statesman article, “officials say that among other problems, they found hospital employees were told to hide drugs in cars during an audit because the hospital lacked secure storage cabinets.”

The hospital addressed the issue via news release on June 14, saying:

“In 2007, the hospital converted its governance from a County owned and operated facility to a privately operated 501(c)3 non-profit organization,” said Dr. Clark Allen, speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors.

“When allegations were first brought against the hospital, the Board took appropriate action, initiating a review which has been ongoing ever since. Holland & Hart, the law firm introduced earlier in the week, has been carrying out this review.”

The Idaho State Journal reported today that the Idaho Attorney General’s office plans to finalize details with the Bingham County Prosecutor’s Office and take full control of the investigation by the end of the week.