The audit reviewed various financial statements, accounting principles and estimates made by hospital management.

"The audit contains lots of great news," said County Commissioner Veronica Escobar. "The hospital had a record year last year."

The hospital's revenues increased by 8.1 percent and expenditures decreased by 1.2 percent, she said.

"What the audit shows is that there has been very thoughtful financial leadership," she said, adding the hospital's successful year is attributed to Valenti. "He turned around a medical institute that in many ways was not being effective."

Thomason Hospital's Board of Managers unanimously appointed Valenti as chief executive officer in October 2004. The appointment came at time when health-care costs were high and providing quality care for the hospital's large number of indigent patients was a challenge.

Valenti installed policies to help screen patients for charity health-care programs to help with medical costs, Escobar said.

Hospital officials also invested in facility improvement, doctor recruitment and other charity health-care programs, Escobar said.

County Commissioner Dan Haggerty agreed Valenti changed the hospital for the better.

"He came in and instituted new technology and directed business," he said. "There was so much that could be done with that place."

Haggerty said he had no doubt the hospital was doing well and that he would ask Valenti to give the board an update on the children's hospital.

"Short of that, I'm totally satisfied," he said.