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State correctional health officials report accreditation, staffing gains and new care pathways
Summary
Department of Health and Human Services officials updated lawmakers on a year of building Utah Correctional Health Services: NCCCHC accreditation at one facility, reduced vacancies, clinical pathways for diabetes, hepatitis C and opioid use disorder, and expanded telehealth and 340B drug purchasing.
Department of Health and Human Services correctional health leaders told the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on June 26 that Utah Correctional Health Services (CHS) has stabilized staffing, achieved accreditation at one prison and rolled out clinical pathways and pharmacy savings initiatives in the past 18 months.
Dr. Marcus Wisner, director of Correctional Health Services, said CHS earned National Commission on Correctional Healthcare accreditation at the Central Utah Correctional Facility and reduced vacant clinical positions “from 43% vacant positions to down to 9%.” He told the committee CHS serves roughly 6,200 individuals across two state prison campuses and about 1,600 patients in county jails under contract.
Wisner provided monthly-service statistics: roughly 3,000 health-care requests, nearly 30,000 prescriptions filled and nearly 200,000 doses administered each month; about 1,000 dental appointments monthly and an average of about 90 admissions to the on-site acute psychiatric infirmary. He said CHS has about 340 patients enrolled in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.
Stacy Bank, executive medical director for DHHS, said CHS has established four clinical care pathways (type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hepatitis C and opioid-use disorder), implemented an electronic health-record rollout and started barcode medication scanning. Bank also said CHS implemented a 340B drug-pricing program that has helped control pharmaceutical costs and emphasized internalization of dialysis and specialty services to reduce offsite transports.
Both officials told the committee CHS remains in an implementation phase and welcomed further legislative oversight and tours of facilities; no committee action was taken on the update.
