NCJ Number
149085
Date Published
1994
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the adequacy of the Federal Bureau of Prison's (BOP) medical services and the effectiveness of its medical service's quality assurance program.
Abstract
The study examined whether inmates with special medical needs are receiving the care they need and whether the BOP has quality assurance systems that detect problems with health care. Other issues addressed are whether BOP physicians and other health care providers are qualified to perform the services they are assigned and whether BOP is considering the most cost-effective alternatives to meet inmates' rising needs for medical services. The study reviewed inmates' letters of complaint about their health care, BOP health care policies and procedures, and documents related to health care budget and costs. Other sources of information were interviews with wardens and prison medical staff and an examination of selected patient files of inmates who died between October 1, 1990, and September 30, 1992. Researchers also reviewed files of selected female inmates who had abnormal results on either their Pap tests or mammograms. The study was performed between April 1992 and August 1993. The study found that inmates with special needs, including women, psychiatric patients, and patients with chronic illnesses, were not receiving all the health care they needed at the three medical referral centers visited by the researchers. This circumstance existed because there were insufficient numbers of physician and nursing staff to perform required clinical and other related tasks. Although all three centers had quality assurance programs intended to identify problems with health care, two of the centers failed to correct identified quality assurance problems. Physicians at each of the centers visited were qualified to perform the work they were assigned; however, many physician assistants did not meet the training and certification requirements of the medical community outside of BOP. The study recommends that the BOP determine its basic requirements and consider the costs and benefits of other alternatives for meeting its needs before proceeding with the construction or acquisition of facilities. 2 figures and appended details on the review of each medical center