A senior executive in the telehealth space with more than 35 years of financial and operational oversight experience, Mark Hirschhorn graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and, later, an MBA in finance and accounting.
He earned the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential in 1988 while working as a senior manager at Deloitte. Mr. Hirschhorn spent nine years with the international public accounting tax and consulting firm, during which time he managed global audits for Chanel and Mitsubishi and helped generate new business for its middle market practice.
Prison inmates often have limited access to healthcare due to security concerns, resource constraints, and the fact that prisons are often geographically isolated from urban centers. Telehealth is an innovative approach to providing offenders with safe and easy access to care, ensuring that they receive timely medical consultations, specialist care, and mental health services.
It also provides inmates with access to a wider range of medical specialists than might be available on-site, ensuring a higher standard of care. Prisoners often experience psychological distress as well as chronic health issues and are often housed in over-crowded prison blocks which can make them vulnerable to disease. Proactively managing the health of prisoners can help to prevent the spread of infectious diseases both within the facility and the broader community upon release.
4 Benefits of Providing Telehealth Services in Prisons
Providing prison inmates with telehealth services offers several key benefits:
1. Cost Savings—Telehealth services reduce the need for costly and logistically complex transportation of inmates to medical facilities located off-site. It also reduces the need for on-site medical staff, as many health issues can be resolved via remote consultations with a healthcare provider.
2. Enhanced Security—Offering telehealth consultations on-site minimizes the security risks associated with transporting inmates outside of the facility, such as attempts to escape, gaining access to contraband from members of the public, and other security breaches.
3. Improved Health Outcomes—Telehealth services can facilitate the early diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, reducing complications and improving overall health outcomes. It can also enhance mental health services by providing consistent access to psychologists and psychiatrists.
4. Operational Efficiency—The provision of telehealth services can help to streamline scheduling and reduce wait times for medical appointments. It also facilitates improved record-keeping and coordination between medical providers and correctional staff.
While prisoners may be isolated from society, they still suffer similar health issues that civilians in the outside world experience, including arthritis, heart disease, and various forms of cancer. They are also prone to physical injuries arising from fights with other inmates.
However, unlike civilians, prisoners in federal, state, or local prisons are required by law to receive healthcare services, which are funded by the government and, ultimately, public tax contributions. When an offender needs to visit a doctor, clinic, or hospital, correctional services staff members need to accompany him or her to and from the healthcare facility to ensure that they don’t escape.
With telehealth, prisoners are escorted to a telehealth room within the prison, reducing the risk of escape. Telehealth not only reduces the costs associated with the provision of healthcare services, but it also reduces the movement of prisoners outside of prisons, increasing the safety of prison wardens and the public. It can also benefit prisoners by helping them to maintain a level of dignity, as they are not paraded around in public in handcuffs and shackles.
Challenges of Implementing Telehealth Services in Prisons
While utilizing telehealth in prisons offers several benefits, it is not without its challenges. One of the biggest obstacles to implementing telehealth in prisons and elsewhere is the investment required in telehealth technology infrastructure.
Telehealth systems, including computer monitors, Internet connections, and secure communication platforms are required, which can be costly to set up. These systems also require ongoing maintenance and technical support to ensure that they function smoothly. Once telehealth systems are in place, both inmates and staff may need to be encouraged to accept and adopt these new technologies, and correctional staff and healthcare providers will need to be trained in how to use them effectively.
Privacy and confidentiality are also a concern with telehealth. Small private spaces are required for inmates to conduct virtual visits with healthcare providers. Should small spaces not be available for telehealth visits, a larger space may need to be converted into smaller cubicles to facilitate patient privacy. Compliance with health information privacy regulations, such as HIPAA in the United States, is also essential. However, ensuring that telehealth consultations are conducted in a manner that protects inmates’ privacy can be challenging in a correctional setting.
Case Study: North Carolina Introduces Telehealth Services to Prisoners
The North Carolina Departments of Public Safety and Adult Correction began introducing telehealth services to prison inmates across the state as far back as 2018, but it was the COVID-19 pandemic that gave the department the push it needed to launch telehealth in earnest.
According to Glenn Mack, Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Departments Adult Correction, there was a growing need for telehealth services in prisons before the COVID outbreak due to need to cut costs surrounding the provision of healthcare services to inmates as well as the shortage of correction officers available to oversee healthcare provision.
Before the pandemic, North Carolina’s prison telehealth services were limited, offering primarily telepsychiatry services, but has expanded to include broader health services since. The pandemic acted as a catalyst to drive the implementation of telehealth services in prisons, and has resulted in cost-savings of US$20m since its rollout.
Telehealth in prisons offers a practical and effective solution to many of the challenges associated with providing healthcare in correctional facilities. By improving access to care, enhancing security, and reducing costs, telehealth services can significantly improve the health outcomes of incarcerated individuals. Successful implementation requires investment in technology, training, and infrastructure, as well as careful attention to legal and regulatory considerations.
