New network for state's inmates saving money
12/20/2003
Associated Press
A new health care
network set up for the state's inmates is saving the state money on the fees
paid to doctors and hospitals.
The HMO for inmates,
called the Kentucky Corrections Health Services Network, is intended to provide
better care to state prisoners.
Before the network, the
state had been paying more than the "usual and customary" rate for
health care services and much more than the network rate, said John Tarrant,
director of dental services for the Department of Corrections.
"Our costs were
getting away from us," Tarrant said.
The state's annual
budget for specialized and hospital care for inmates is $15 million.
The increased
management has also resulted in shorter hospital stays, Tarrant said.
He said inmates will
benefit from having a set network of providers.
"They receive the
care that's consistent with a community standard," Tarrant said.
Under the new
arrangement, started in October, the state's 16,000 inmates will continue to
receive primary care services at their correctional institutions.
But if they need
specialized care or hospitalization, they'll be sent to a provider within the
new statewide network of doctors and hospitals.
If the medical
procedure is complicated, it will have to be approved first. Previously, each
prison arranged for inmates' care with little overall coordination.
The network was set up
and will be managed by a private health care management firm hired by the
state.
Providers will be paid
for the care they give prisoners at the same rate they would be paid as part of
the CHA Health network. CHA is a for-profit insurance company owned primarily
by
The network is being
monitored by Phillip Roeder, a political science professor at the
Roeder said
"Just about every pathology you can imagine, those prisoners
have," he said.
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