FAQs on Correctional Healthcare Solutions from NCCHC Resources

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NCCHC Resources’ services seem like they would be expensive. Where are we likely to see the biggest “bang for our buck” in terms of actionable results?

Our consultants use the NCCHC Standards as their frame of reference and make sure that all recommendations are based on best practices. Having worked extensively in correctional and health care environments, they are well aware of the most critical issues you face and the importance of using your limited resources wisely. They can objectively find areas where you have inefficiencies or “blind spots” and help you avoid risks to people and your institution through correctional healthcare solutions and meaningful plans for improvement.

Often, the consultants that we work with have an academic or community health background, and they don’t understand the challenges of a correctional environment. How do I know that your consultants will?

All of NCCHC Resources’ consultants have extensive backgrounds in correctional health care. In fact, many have served as leaders in state or local institutions and are active surveyors for NCCHC accreditation programs. You will receive a complete biography for every consultant assigned to your project.

How do you work with contracted health vendors? I’m concerned that bringing in a consultant will cause trust issues with our vendor.

NCCHC Resources acts as an objective advisor to your institution’s leaders, and we can serve as a bridge between law enforcement/county governance and your clinicians. We specialize in fostering a mentoring environment that supports your vendor and helps them meet or even exceed your requirements.

Our facility wants to learn more about processes that may be associated with inmate deaths in our jail. A holistic look at these processes, from intake through adjudication, could be valuable in better understanding areas for improvement. Is this a service you provide?

Yes. In fact, in recent years, we have worked with several large and mid-sized jails to develop comprehensive suicide prevention programs that incorporate health care, custody, and facility design. In each case, NCCHC Resources developed a comprehensive and actionable report for jail command, healthcare management, and health staff to help reduce the risk of suicide.

We currently do not have adequate physical space to offer a formal therapeutic program. Could you conduct an assessment of our space should we decide to add these services in the future?

We understand that providing therapeutic services in any built environment is challenging — and that the attributes of your physical space are critical determinants of your ability to provide high-quality correctional healthcare solutions. We provide clients with a detailed review of their physical space to include overall clinic and housing design, patient flow, staff workstations, and equipment placement, all with special attention paid to suicide prevention measures and ways to improve your behavior health services.

We are a large jail facility that has an NCCHC Survey coming up later this year. We have a Contracted Health Services Provider, and we usually conduct a mock survey before each actual survey to identify strengths and weaknesses. Is this something that NCCHC Resources could do for us, and what does it cost?

We can. The roots of NCCHC Resources were built on preparing for an NCCHC Accreditation Survey. We can create an assessment that fits your financial need based on the NCCHC Standards for Health Services in Jails, Prisons, and Juvenile Detention Centers. We welcome you to contact us to discuss pricing for services that are tailored to your unique needs.

We use a contracted medical provider in our jail facilities, and we’re generally satisfied with the services they provide, but we’d like to perform an audit to ensure we’re getting the best service for our money. How can we learn more about this service and get help developing an RFP if we decide to make a change?

We are deeply experienced in conducting comprehensive reviews of clinical care for correctional health care systems with an emphasis on medical record review and provider interviews. We can also assist with RFP development to ensure that you are providing accurate and comprehensive information to prospective new vendors. In addition, we can assist you with reviewing proposals from healthcare providers and companies to evaluate whether they meet your correctional health care goals at an appropriate budget, level of quality, and complexity of service.