The landmark 1976 Supreme Court case of Estelle vs. Gamble ruled that inmates had a constitutional right to medical care. During that same period, prominent professional associations such as the American Bar Association (ABA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) began to focus on the conditions in our nation’s correctional facilities and began working toward establishing inmates’ legal rights.
The ABA and AMA’s “Jail Project” evolved into the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), an independent organization that sets and updates standards and offers voluntary accreditation to prisons, jails and juvenile facilities. The American Correctional Association and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations have since joined the NCCHC in offering accreditation.
Today’s prisons and jails provide comprehensive services
The typical prison clinic has a trauma room, exam rooms, a laboratory, a radiological suite, a pharmacy or medication room and dental facilities. It is staffed with experienced and licensed physicians, nurses and other health professionals. Many of the contract physicians also are board-certified in a relevant specialty. These professionals enjoy specialized correctional training and fully equipped clinic facilities. To streamline services, we have automated most administrative processes, with everything from “Fax and Fill” medication to electronic recordkeeping.
Correctional healthcare professionals are not just providing efficient services; they are making measurable progress in improving outcomes for the complex health issues of the inmate population.
Need grows with inmate population
The growing inmate population has resulted in dramatic expansion of the correctional healthcare industry and increased privatization of correctional healthcare services. Approximately 42% of healthcare services in prisons and jails are contracted out to private firms.
Correctional Medical Services, Inc. (CMS) is leading the way in providing value for taxpayers, clients and inmates alike through cost and risk management, outcome improvement and industry leadership to meet the needs for correctional healthcare well into the future.