Auditors give University Medical Center of El Paso district an unmodified opinion; commissioners accept 2024 audit

The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Jan. 13 accepted the audited financial statements for the El Paso County Hospital District (University Medical Center and related entities) for the year ended Sept. 30, 2024, after a presentation from auditors who issued an unmodified opinion.

Chris Clark, managing partner with Forvis Mazars, told the court the audit provides reasonable assurance that the district’s financial statements and footnotes are accurate and complete. "We have issued an unmodified opinion on the financial statements," Clark said.

Why it matters: An unmodified opinion indicates auditors found no material misstatements in the district’s year-end financial statements. Commissioners and hospital officials used the presentation to review operating trends and to discuss how growth in services has affected revenue, accounts receivable and reserves.

Key findings presented

- Unmodified audit opinion: auditors reported no material exceptions. - Balance-sheet growth: total assets rose from about $764 million in 2020 to $935 million in 2024. - Net position: the hospital district’s net position rose from about $125 million (2020) to $213 million (2024), a roughly 70% increase across five years. - Revenue and expenses: net patient service revenue increased from approximately $392 million in 2020 to about $725 million in 2024 (an 85% increase by the district’s reporting), driven in part by new facilities that opened in…