Jails and correctional facilities tend to schedule patients for medical care whenever they have a sick call or are due for recurring appointments. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care states that a responsible physician should determine the necessity of such appointments and sick calls as and when required.
Yet, according to Armor Correctional Health Services, also known as Armor Health, there must be more evidence surrounding the optimal length or frequency of physician encounters. A few studies have retrospectively analyzed such encounters, finding that shorter wait times and intervals between recurring appointments yield the most favorable results.
These results continued improving where wait time stayed low, suggesting that more readily available, more frequent visits for medical care are optimal. Given the complexity and volume of patients in correctional facilities, getting the correct and timeliest care to the right individuals is likely pivotal for maintaining long-term health and well-being.
Maximized Distribution of Healthcare Resources
Distributing healthcare resources within jails and correctional facilities currently takes a largely one-size-fits-all approach. As a result, every patient receives the same level of resources. Clinically speaking, Armor Health finds this to be both expensive and ineffective.
Instead, the healthcare provider says jails and correctional facilities should look to analyze their patient populations’ medical needs ahead of time. Such analysis allows for more effective, timely, and maximized use of resources down the line. That, in turn, results in increased efficiency and improved patient outcomes, in contrast to current scheduling measures.
Armor Health suggests that the goal should be customized care and interventions by default. This care and any associated interventions should, in turn, be based solely on individual patients’ particular risk factors. That ensures that highly intensive medical resources remain reserved primarily for high-risk patients.
Flexible Care Plans and Resource Matching
Correctional facilities and jails can utilize flexible care plans to more efficiently and effectively match patients with the appropriate resources. By risk stratifying patients, such facilities and their respective healthcare providers can quickly and easily identify the correct care levels for their patient populations.
It’s a process at the heart of what Armor Health believes is a greater-than-ever need for a revised approach to correctional medical care access. Achieving this revised approach to care is likely best and most simply accomplished by assigning risk statuses to every patient, regardless of their past or present medical circumstances.
Correctional facilities can then use this information to direct any necessary care in the future, focused squarely on improving overall health outcomes across the board.
Armor Health
Armor Health is a foremost provider of best-in-class healthcare services within correctional environments. The organization boasts a national footprint and is committed to ushering in a new era of healthcare rooted in laser-focused clinical outcomes and prioritized medical services for patients in the country’s jails and correctional facilities.
Visit ArmorHealthCare.com to learn more about Armor Health and the need for a different approach to accessing care within correctional health.
