Audit Slams Spinning Chair Treatment for Veterans

An Irving clinic wasted over $2 million in taxpayer dollars and risked the health of dozens of veterans in a medical study that included spinning them upside down in a chair, according to a scathing state audit released Friday.The state’s top health agency said in 2013 that it hoped the clinic’s yearlong study would result in a new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. But the study was so poorly designed it was impossible to tell whether the treatment worked, according to investigators.The state is demanding the clinic repay $278,000 it charged for veterans who were not Texas residents or were treated more than once.The audit culminates a probe triggered by reports by The Dallas Morning News and KXAS-TV (NBC5).The news organizations found that former Gov. Rick Perry championed the clinic, now known as Cerebrum Health Centers, and his calendars show he visited it three times. The auditors said they found no evidence of Perry’s personal involvement but they did not review his calendars. Perry could not be reached for comment.The study was funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in late 2013.A spokeswoman for the agency said it accepted the findings of the audit, which was performed by its inspector general’s office. The agency has revised policies “to prevent this from happening again,” she said, noting that the audit found no evidence of fraud and the staff members responsible no longer worked there.The clinic plans to challenge parts of the report as inaccurate, Jimmy Mathews, president and chief operating officer of Cerebrum, said in a statement. “Our success and reputation with veterans speaks for itself and we remain committed to care for those who have served our nation.”  Continue reading...