A health care company has agreed to pay $200,000 in fines to settle charges of providing substandard care to New York prison inmates, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said Thursday.
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based Correctional Medical Care Inc. will pay $100,000 in restitution to Tioga County, New York, and $100,000 in civil penalties to New York State after investigation by the Attorney General's office found that the company violated key provisions of its contracts in two of the 13 counties in which it provides medical services in jails.
According to the state, the medical services provider understaffed facilities and shifted work hours from physicians and dentists to less qualified and lower-wage staff.
“Tax dollars meant to cover medical care of our county prisoners must not be wasted — and substandard care and mismanagement are not an option,” Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement. “We will bring to justice contractors who line their pockets while failing to uphold their obligations to the people of New York.”
Under terms of the agreement, CMC, which holds over $32 million in contracts with the New York counties, must submit to initial and annual audits and pay for an independent monitor for a period of three years to ensure compliance with its contracts.
California consumer advocates successfully placed on November's ballot a measure that would eliminate the current $250,000 cap on medical malpractice awards, replacing it with an inflation-based formula, as well as target impaired doctors and prescribing practices.