Department of Correctional Services

Regional Medical Units (Follow-Up Review)

Inmates in State prisons may receive medical care in outside hospitals, in prison infirmaries, or in regional medical units located on the premises of selected prisons. In our prior audit report 97-S-40, which addressed the inpatient services provided by the regional medical units, we found that improvements were needed in the procedures used by the Department of Correctional Services to compare the operating costs of the State-run inpatient units to the operating costs of a contractor-run inpatient unit. The purpose of these comparisons is to provide a basis for determining the most cost-effective means of delivering these services at existing and future regional medical units. We also found that the Department needed to establish a formal quality assurance program to ensure that inmates received appropriate care at all regional medical units. In our follow-up review, we found that the Department had implemented, or was in the process of implementing, the recommendations contained in our prior report.

For a complete copy of Report 2001-F-22 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.