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| Maryland prison system will have single health services provider |
| By times-news.com - len lazarick Associated Press |
| Published: 05/06/2012 |
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— ANNAPOLIS — The comptroller railed about the contract’s “Cadillac” costs; prison officials touted its benefits at improving health care and reducing violence; the attorney for the losing bidder complained of lack of due process and another said the complaint was just a delaying tactic; competing company presidents trek-ked in from St. Louis and Pittsburgh to defend their claims; and the governor stared into space as the testimony droned on. In the end, despite the strong protest, the Board of Public Works unanimously awarded a $598 million contract to provide health services to 26,000 prison inmates over the next five years to Wexford Health Sources of Pittsburgh. As prison officials advised, it rejected the bid by Corizon Inc. of St. Louis, which has been providing two-thirds of the services to the prisoners for the last seven years. Both companies are currently providing different health services for the prison system. Corrections officials said the two companies were both capable of performing an expanded contract that combined their functions. “There’s no doubt that each company had the ability to perform” the services, medical director Sharon Baucom told the board. But Wexford came in with a bid $20 million lower than Corizon. The new contract is designed to have a single contractor provide health care and monitor its costs. The contract also calls for increased use of telemedicine to reduce expensive inmate trips to hospitals and other health facilities where they must be guarded. The contract also will increase the use of electronic medical records and has “a significant safety component,” said Tom Sullivan, director of treatment services. Read More. |
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