BALTIMORE (AP) According to a recently published audit, Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has not adequately managed and supervised contracts with private organizations that offer inmates in state-run detention facilities medical and mental health services.
Among other issues, the errors led to a scarcity of mental health tests and hundreds of missed suicide risk assessments. The conclusions are the result of state auditors examining three contracts starting in 2018 and spanning approximately five years.
One possible contributing factor mentioned in the research is understaffing. It also begs the question of whether the contracts were written to favor the businesses without guaranteeing that they delivered quality services.
Although prison medical care outsourcing is growing nationwide, the practice is frequently criticized and the subject of lawsuits alleging malpractice, neglect, and subpar care.
According to the report, the system in Maryland has recently led to a persistent inability to adequately complete crucial health evaluations of jailed individuals and provide the bare minimum of staffing.
Although they generally agreed to follow the audit’s recommendations, Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services leaders disputed certain of its conclusions. According to officials, some of the problems have already been resolved by new contracts.
Earlier this year, state representatives decided to replace the prisoner health care providers with Centurion of Maryland, severing connections with YesCare, which was receiving a lot of criticism.
According to department authorities, the government created new written processes to guarantee contractors finish mental and medical exams in the allotted time.
According to a previous audit, the department has over 20% of open positions in prior years, with a 13% vacancy rate in June 2023. In 18 facilities, including state prisons and Baltimore’s jail, which houses inmates awaiting trial, Correctional Services is in charge of thousands of prisoners.
According to a report released Tuesday by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits, the department’s health care costs rose from $120 million to $168.7 million between 2018 and 2023, despite an 18% decrease in the state’s average jailed population.
The prisons department was unable to defend a fixed fee structure that ensured businesses were compensated regardless of the amount of staffing they provided or the true price of supplies, equipment, and hospital stays, according to auditors.
The investigation also found that the contracts did not set competitive hourly rates for medical and mental health staff, which may have led to issues with hiring and retention. Auditors discovered that a registered nurse working for the medical contractor would have received $25,500 less in 2023 than the state average.
Corrections leaders responded in writing that the new contracts feature a payment structure with set pricing incentives and minimum salary criteria. Additionally, officials committed to making sure that all patient concerns about subpar medical care are thoroughly looked into.
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