The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC),
Inmate Health Services Division provides medical, dental and mental health services to the
inmates committed to ADC facilities.
On October 15, 1994, ADC implemented a system of
charging inmates a $3.00 fee for certain healthcare encounters.
The authorizing legislation granted some
exceptions to the healthcare fee, including such populations as the chronically mentally
ill, juveniles and pregnant inmates.
The reasons for charging for healthcare are:
- To reduce inmate abuse of the healthcare delivery
system.
- To place some ownership, with the inmate, in
his/her healthcare.
- Return some funds to the General Fund in order to
reduce the increasing costs of healthcare.
The instrument that is used by the inmate to
request a healthcare visit is the Health Needs Request Form (HNR). It is also the form
that is used to initiate the $3.00 charge.
For the period of July 1, 1997 through June 30,
1998, the following statistics were generated.
| Total HNR's Submitted 220,643 |
Total Charges 85,647 |
Total Scheduled Appointments 393,363 |
| Total Exempts 286,972 |
Total Refusals of Treatment 1,372 |
Number of No Shows 16,361 |
| Total Charges (85,647 x $3.00) $256,941 |
Balance Owing $31,185.08 |
Number of Appointment Refusals 8,907 |
|
|
Number of Encounters 362,723 |
| Total Collected |
|
$225,755.92 |
Summary
|
FY
1995 |
FY
1996 |
FY
1997 |
FY
1998 |
TOTAL |
| HNRs |
129,122 |
205,120 |
200,083 |
220,643 |
754,968 |
| Charged Visits |
45,889 |
72,276 |
77,667 |
85,647 |
281,479 |
| Exempt Visits |
170,195 |
254,158 |
254,048 |
286,972 |
965,373 |
| $ Collected |
$105,733.21 |
$195,259.26 |
$227,943.51 |
$225,755.92 |
$754,691.90 |
| HNRs Per Inmate |
N/A |
9.8 |
9.0 |
9.2 |
N/A |
Historical data
demonstrates that, before charging, an average of 12 HNRs were submitted per inmate, per
year.
For the period stated, an average of 9.2 HNRs were submitted per inmate.
Updated on August 05, 1999
|
