Sunday,
December 21, 2003
State saving with
inmate health-care network
System
keeping costs under control
Associated Press
The HMO for inmates, called the Kentucky Corrections Health Services Network, is intended to provide better care to state prisoners.
Before the network existed, 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 $15million.
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
owned primarily by the
The network is being monitored by Phillip Roeder, a political science
professor at
Roeder said