Prison Hires a PA, Saves Money
"The cost of medical care for inmates in Westmoreland County Prison is going up."
But only in the short term, and to the benefit of PAs. The Pennsylvania prison has made a one-year deal with Naphcare, Inc., the facility's Alabama-based, longtime health care provider, which will increase what the county is expected to pay in 2009 by 5%. According to an article in The Tribune, "the additional money will pay for a physician's assistant to replace a duty nurse, which officials said will reduce health care costs."
Having a physician's assistant there in person gives us the ability to do more than just a nurse, said Commissioner Tom Ceraso, who serves as chairman of the county prison board.
The PA on regular duty will handle medical services that otherwise would have been farmed out to local hospitals, the article reports, including writing prescriptions and performing minor procedures.
"In the end, we can save money through this," Walton said.
Read the full article here.