The state’s chief health care advocate, Michael Fisher, told the Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee on Thursday that the Department of Corrections had only treated one inmate for hepatitis C in 2017.
Antiviral drugs can cure hepatitis C, an infectious disease that can lead to liver cancer and other potentially fatal complications. The virus, transmitted by blood, is more common among prisoners than the general population.
Fisher also directed lawmakers’ attention to a significant amount of unspent money. In 2017, the Department of Corrections paid about $4.8 million to its private health care contractor, Centurion, for pharmaceutical drugs and off-site medical expenses, according to information Fisher provided the committee. Centurion only spent about $2.6 million, however.
When Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington), who also sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, asked corrections officials what happened to the remaining money, he didn’t get a clear answer at first. “I just find it appalling that you can’t account for $2 million,” he said.
An audience member helped him out. “Centurion keeps the money,” piped up Chloé White, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.
Department of Corrections officials conceded the point. “We identified this issue in years one through three of the contract” with Centurion and changed it for 2018, said Ben Watts, the department’s health services director. “We capped their corporate overhead and profit and added the language that any savings would be [recouped],” he said.
Sears wasn’t satisfied. “I want it paid back if they took it,” he said of the missing money.
Agency of Human Services Secretary Al Gobeille wasn’t at the meeting, but said during a later interview that he plans to direct $2 million — in addition to the $384,000 already allocated — to treat more inmates with hepatitis C. He’ll make the proposal to lawmakers on the Joint Fiscal Committee next week.
Gobeille acknowledged shortcomings in the department’s approach but said officials have been working to improve and expand treatment.
“We’ve begun treating more people — certainly nothing to applaud yet — but we are heading toward the right thing,” Gobeille said.
According to Watts, the department has so far treated 10 people in 2018.
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Dick Sears is surprised that there is 2 million missing. I am not. Incompetent contract and program management. Front line workers are held accountable for small mistakes. Central office corrections is exempt from accountability.
Thank you, Mr. Bellini. Spot on!
Thanks, Mike Fisher, for your health care advocacy for Vermonters.
I have said before that Centurian health has issues with the prisoners. They are more interested in the money then they are the people. They don’t like to treat them and make them wait for weeks to see the doctor who is only in twice a week if that. They should be banned from practicing medicine in the Vermont prison system. Cheaper is not always better
Doesn’t seem right that someone who is in prison for minor crime should receive the death penalty, which
untreated Hep-C can become.
Given that they won’t treat opioid addiction either, how much money is Centurion pocketing and where was the oversight for the first 3 years? Centurion should be out right now. Prisoners are suffering from treatable conditions and are treated as if they have no rights at all. That’s what the 8th Amendment is all about, guys.
Al Gobeille should mandate a department-wide audit of AHS’s contracts, including DOC’s. If he doesn’t the Legislature should. There should be no more surprises like this one and like the earlier (and perhaps current) Vermont Health Connect contracts. My experience in negotiating and managing multi-million dollar contracts for the state is that the contract is only as good as the staff who are charged with contracting. Although Bulletin 3.5 (state contracting guidelines) are quite specific, they are not followed. Contracting can and should be tightened up, with requirements (for example) to spend X% of the money or return it to the state. This is very easy to do. No, the contractors’ lawyers won’t like it but that’s why we have AG’s. Another weak contracting area is performance guarantees and financial penalties. We always put these in but I’m amazed to find how many AHS contracts don’t have them. Perhaps Doug Hoffer’s office can review the AHS contracts for conformance to Bulletin 3.5. If there is a variation that can be explained, the opportunity will be there. Otherwise Vermont taxpayers money deserves to be well spent without sloppy contracting.
Another question is, what healthcare system does the Mississippi prison have? If it is Centurian health then I would have more thoughts about not sending the prisoners there seeing what type of crappy job they do here for treating patients
How much you want to bet that AHS/DOC will keep the contract with Centurian…no….matter…what….
DOC is a gravy train for many contractors and they take full advantage of the lackadaisical oversight.
The people negotiating, managing and enforcing contracts will all keep their jobs, there’s no penalty for failure.
Contractors will keep their money and if they get caught underperforming…so what, nothing happens. It’s like this for most contracts. An audit every once in a while, maybe, then it is forgotten.
“Appalling” I think the correct language should be “Baffled”
VT Digger has done amazing job reporting the EB-5 case, pls keep researching, may wonder about others who appear to always be on the sideline.
If Quiro’s is banned from conducting business in this state, how is it even possible that Stenger still has access to conduct business/employment and is still on these properties premises? Not to mention the use of a company vehicle? Does he get reimbursed for mileage and expense account as well?
My opinion he should be banned as well.
Someone please shut down EB-5 now.