N.J. report criticizes dental provider

N.J. report criticizes dental provider

	Published : Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:21 By : Agencies Print this Story

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - For the second time in two years, an audit has found that the Corrections Department failed to adequately monitor its multimillion dollar contract for inmate dental services.

Monday's report by Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper mirrors a 2005 audit by Treasury's contract compliance unit. Both concluded that Corrections could not guarantee that inmates were getting services that were paid for or that the state wasn't overpaying the provider, Correctional Medical Services.

The inspector general also found that Corrections did not fine the provider for missing deadlines spelled out in the contract, even though it could have collected $1 million or more for screenings that were not conducted within a specified time of a new inmate's arrival.

The quality of medical and dental care was not considered.

Both reports blamed Corrections' automated systems for being incapable of collecting and retaining the data necessary to monitor compliance with the contract.

Correctional Medical Services was awarded a two-year, $168 million contract in April 2005 to provide health services to about 40,000 inmates a year, including a dental portion worth $7.5 million.

The contract was renewed for one year in April, Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman said.

The report says the contract dictates that certain services be performed within specific time frames -- and gives Corrections the authority to assess damages for missed deadlines -- because of concerns over provider performance that developed during a prior health services contract.

An initial Treasury audit in 2005 showed that Corrections did not have an automated information system capable of providing data to monitor the contract. When a system was finally put in place, it relied on the vendor to enter data, the inspector general's report shows, and had flaws.

Schuman said Monday that Corrections had not yet seen the report and would have no comment.

Ken Fields, a spokesman for Correctional Medical Services in St. Louis, Mo., also said he was unfamiliar with the report and could not comment.