Internal Audit Practices, Fraud Detection and Prevention in the Adventist Health Services

Abstract

Numerous high-profile examples of financial fraud over the past two centuries show that scams have long existed. KPMG (2012) found that 74% of all African fraud cases were recorded in only four countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Data mining has been utilised in some affluent nations to combat healthcare fraud and misuse. However, in Ghana, the literature suggests that there has been little investigation involving healthcare fraud for data mining techniques. The general research objective of this study is to establish the extent to which audit practices contribute to the success of fraud detection and prevention in Ghana Adventist health services. The researcher used a descriptive survey approach to determine whether there is a significant association between the degree of internal audit practices and the level of fraud detection and prevention. This study’s population consisted of 168 people, and simple random of 103 respondents was selected to answer the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the regression analysis technique to reveal the effect of internal audit practices on fraud detection and prevention in Adventist health services. The study finding reveals that fraud activity is detected regularly in their facility. As a result, effective fraud risk management necessitates more than just ensuring an effective system of internal controls. However, it was recommended that internal audit functions in healthcare organisations be independent of detecting fraud fairly.