Jail Medical Reviews

Typical Problems

Most counties' jail health systems are expensive yet not working as efficiently as their managers would like. The most pressing issues tend to be lawsuits, rising levels of infectious diseases, jail crowding and rising costs.

Approaching a Solution

ILPP has developed an approach for managing such situations. First, ILPP conducts a policy and procedure performance review of a jurisdiction's correctional medical services guided by the following questions:

Is service delivery appropriate?

This is an important step to determine that the right services are being provided in the most timely and efficient way possible. How can you contain costs and provide better care?

These two goals often seem mutually exclusive but in fact they go hand-in-hand. The bottom line is getting the patients as directly as possible to the right provider to receive the right treatment. This requires effective triage from the moment of presentation.

How is the system managed?

Is there an internal review mechanism and is it used? Is the county getting the best rates for hospital and provider service?

Recommendations

Then ILPP provides the client with a set of concrete recommendations tailored to the particular system. Previous projects have saved correctional systems millions of dollars while also improving the quality of service given.

Successful Results

ILPP recently completed a study of jail medical services in Hillsborough County, Florida (Tampa). The following is our client's response:

"When we entered the contract with your firm, we could not have anticipated that the results of the study could produce such significant savings for the taxpayers of Hillsborough County.

The Sheriff's Office, utilizing information included in your study, in two separate actions has achieved an overall savings in the contract amount of $1,500,000. We are most pleased to have achieved that kind of reduction."

Patricia Bean
Senior Assistant County Administrator
Hillsborough County, FL (Tampa)