Medical specialists, such as orthopedists and kidney specialists, will examine state prisoners over the Internet as part of a cost-saving program, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence said yesterday.
Using electronic consultation, commonly referred to as telemedicine, prison doctors will electronically send medical records, lab results, pictures and even video to specialists, said Dr. Scott Haas, medical director for the state Department of Corrections. This avoids costly, time-consuming transportation of inmates who can be security threats, Haas said.
A specialist may also request more information or ask to see the inmate in person.
The program will be in all 13 state prisons within a few months and is expected to save $350,000 a year, officials said.
"The money we spend there in health care -- especially taxpayer money -- is money we can't put somewhere else for the needs we know we all have," Pence said.
Haas said a similar program in
Edward Harrison, president of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, said telemedicine has been successful in other states, particularly for prisons in rural areas that are far from specialists and advanced medical care.
It's more than the cost of gas that makes transporting inmates expensive:
They also have to be escorted by security officers,
The state is also creating a wireless electronic medical record system that allows doctors to record and review an inmate's prescriptions, notes and other records on a tablet computer. The wireless record system is already in four prisons, and will be in all by April.
It is the second phase of a partnership launched in October 2003 between the
state, the
The first phase provided a statewide health network to provide care -- at a reduced cost -- for the 18,000 prisoners. Pence and corrections officials boasted 40 percent savings -- roughly $9 million -- for inmate health care in fiscal year 2005, which ended in June.
Haas said the network has prevented an additional $4 million in billing errors.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.