Copyright 2006 The Morning Call, Inc.
By SARAH FULTON
Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Carbon County Prison is seeking to have local ambulance companies give it reduced rates when transporting inmates to area hospitals, and at least one says it will try.
Prison officials told the county Prison Board on Wednesday they recently met with Lehighton Ambulance Association and Nesquehoning Ambulance Company. Lehighton agreed to work with the county and try to offer reduced rates but Nesquehoning, which is made up of volunteers, said it couldn’t at this time.
County Controller Bob Crampsie said talking with the ambulance companies is a step in the right direction to reducing transportation costs.
The prison, which is on Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning, relies primarily on Nesquehoning Ambulance for health emergencies. Prison officials contacted the local basic life support carrier first to negotiate a discount.
“We really weren’t able to arrive at a number that we felt was fair [and] they felt was fair,” Crampsie said. “We understand they’re a volunteer organization; they have costs.”
Crampsie said Lehighton Ambulance wasn’t able to offer a specific discount but offered to negotiate with the prison board on each bill. Lehighton Ambulance is used as backup for health emergencies at the prison and offers advanced life support for more serious incidents.
“We laid the groundwork for future discussions and possibly future negotiations,” county Administrator Randall Smith said.
The Prison Board has worked to reduce health care costs at the facility. The county took a hit in 2004 when two inmates had heart attacks and their medical care cost was $100,000. Carbon budgeted only $50,000 for medical costs for the whole year.
Some inmates also have faked medical conditions as a way to get out of the prison, with the false claim costing county taxpayers, officials said.
Last year the Prison Board formed a committee to review medical bills and asked health care providers for preferred rates. Some bills were scaled back by a third of the original cost.
Gnaden Huetten Hospital in Lehighton dropped about $8,345 off one bill, reducing it from $24,905 to $16,560. Lehigh Valley Hospital deducted $5,035 from a bill, reducing it from $12,588 to $7,553.
In 2005, the prison board struck a deal with St. Luke’s Hospital facilities granting the prison a 50 percent discount on medical costs.
In other matters Wednesday, the Prison Board plans to solicit bids for a new ventilation unit. One of the seven units on the roof recently burned out.
It’s estimated to cost $11,000 to repair the melted transformer and wiring or about $17,000 to replace the entire unit.
Prison Board members are considering replacing one unit each year for the next seven years.