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Montana DOC details medical contracts, Medicaid rate limit and automated pharmacy plan
Summary
Department of Corrections staff told lawmakers the department pays outside medical providers at Medicaid rates per statute, described typical contract terms, and outlined a proposed automated pharmacy machine intended to cut nursing staff time.
The Department of Corrections told the Legislature’s Section D work session that outside medical services for incarcerated people are mainly for specialty care — surgery, MRIs, dialysis, cardiology, oncology, urology, orthopedics and ophthalmology — and that statute limits payments to no more than Medicaid rates.
Natalie Smithson, the department’s chief financial officer, said many specialty providers under contract come into facilities for routine services such as optometry and X-ray, while others require transport to outside hospitals. She also described typical contract terms: "typically, we do the 7 year contracts with options to renew up to 10 years," and noted contracts are staggered to ease staff workload around renewals.
Committee staff also walked lawmakers through the department’s change…
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