N.C. Department of
Correction--Correction News--February 1998
Half a million dollars saved through joint
effort
By Patty McQuillan
Raleigh - Some medical bills are as difficult to read
as a doctor's scribble. That's why two women from the correction
medical staff and two from the accounting office joined forces to
review medical bills and found more than a half a million dollars
in excessive charges over a four-month period.
A careful review of nearly 5,000 medical bills from July 1 to
Nov. 30, 1997, turned up $556,000 in excessive or unauthorized
charges and another $870,000 in questionable claims which are
pending while more information is obtained.
 The Half-A-Million Dollar team, from the
left, Medical
Director Bert rosefield, Linda Young, Chandra Clark,
Controller Sam newman, Mary ellen Minges, Keisha
Graham and Dianne Smith.
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"Catching these errors is exactly what Governor
Jim Hunt ordered when he charged state employees with
rooting out inefficiencies and waste in government,"
Correction Secretary Mack Jarvis said. "I'm thrilled
that the Department of Correction's controllers office
and medical staff took the initiative to work together
and help manage tax dollars." Director of Health
Services Bert Rosefield saw the need for a more careful
review of medical bills since correction accountants were
unfamiliar with the medical terminology and needed an
interpreter. Rosefield contracted with Linda Young to
organize a pilot project which brought together Dianne
Smith and Chandra Clark from the medical staff and Mary
Ellen Minges and temporary employee Keisha Graham from
the accounting office. The four began reviewing medical
bills item by item and discovered a number of unwarranted
charges.
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Correction Controller Sam Newman said that the accuracy of the
review process exceeded expectations, with less than a tenth of a
percent of claims appealed by the medical industry.
"These four women have taken on this project in addition
to their regular work load, and they well deserve their
reputation as being the watch dog of prison health care
expenses," Newman said. "We plan to continue
scrutinizing medical bills and being a good steward of taxpayer's
money."
Actual expenditures for inmate medical care services was
nearly $78 million during the last fiscal year. The department
runs two prison hospitals, has infirmaries at three prisons, and
a number of staff nurses and contract doctors for each of the
other prisons.
NC DOC Correction News- February 1998
NC Department of Correction News
NC
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