Understanding Internal Audit’s role at Methodist

Internal Audit is an integral part of the Methodist Health System’s effort to achieve enterprise risk management – an organization-wide strategy to identify and mitigate risks. The team’s role is to identify areas of potential risk – financial, regulatory, compliance or operational – then evaluate the health system’s internal controls in those areas and determine their effectiveness at mitigating any identified risks. 

Internal audits are important because they can provide actionable information to management. When risks are identified in a proactive manner, they can be addressed before any significant issues arise.

The audit process

Internal Audit staff members meet regularly with any individuals – or control owners – who are responsible for performing or supervising relevant processes. They also meet with executive leadership to report findings and discuss mitigation efforts. 

On an annual basis, the team, along the Legal and Compliance Department, meets with executives and leadership to gain insight into Methodist’s current risk environment, and to understand any new or continuous trends for risks throughout the system. Meetings are scheduled in the third quarter of the year prior, which means that meetings for the 2025 risk assessment process are scheduled for August through the beginning of October. 

Internal Audit also partners with Legal and Compliance and leaders across the health system for any additional auditing which may be necessary. 

Documenting and sharing information

The information gathered at these meetings is documented in secure files and workpapers. Next, the documents are used to develop audit reports that describe the procedures performed, findings noted and recommended mitigation efforts. Finally, the audit report is shared with management and the audit and compliance committee of the Methodist Health System board of directors.

By identifying areas of potential risk and performing procedures to determine the current state of an area, Internal Audit can provide information to management that may prevent potential regulatory issues, financial losses or patient safety concerns.

Meet the team

The Internal Audit team consists of Scott Volentine, director of internal auditing, and Paula Smith, senior internal auditor. 

Volentine joined the Methodist internal auditing team in 2015. He previously worked as a medical coder and biller for a gastroenterologist while he worked toward his MBA in health care policy. He also worked at Deloitte Omaha for six years, performing internal and external audits for local and national clients.

Smith has been with Methodist since 2016. She’s worked in quality assurance, fraud auditing and process improvement within the insurance industry, and she received her MBA in organizational performance and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt designation. She’s certified as a Health Care Anti-Fraud Associate and as a trainer in Hospital Emergency Response Training. She also established the Omaha Healthcare Internal Auditors roundtable, a group of health care auditing peers from the Omaha area who meet at the 825 Building to discuss recent trends and risks within the health care community.