Officials at the Benton County Jail are taking steps to address prescription drug costs that are rising faster for inmates than those for average Americans, authorities said.
Inmate drug costs increased almost $100,000 each year for the past three years, according to information from the Sheriff’s Office budget.
Capt. Chris Sparks, jail commander, noticed an increase in the number of drugs prescribed to inmates, and that sparked the need for change, said Sheriff Keith Ferguson.
A query from an outside entity about the jail’s high rate of prescriptions also raised questions.
“The pharmacy company in Alabama that fills our prescription medications was so concerned they contacted Sparks,” Ferguson said “Out of the 275 institutions the pharmacy in Alabama services in the United States, we were dispensing more narcotics than any of the other institutions.”
At A Glance
What Is A Narcotic?
Narcotics are drugs that dull the sense of pain and cause drowsiness or sleep. They are the most effective tool a physician has to relieve severe pain. Narcotics are also given pre-operatively to relieve anxiety and induce anesthesia. Other common uses are to suppress cough and to control very severe diarrhea. These drugs do not cure the source of the pain; they simply block the individual's perception of pain. Narcotics are also taken illegally for recreational use.
Source: The Free Dictionary by Farlex
Numbers provided by the Sheriff’s Office back up the drug company’s claim.
Costs for drug expenses were $332,290 in 2011, $202,280 in 2010 and $107,513 in 2009.
Meanwhile, the number of prisoners in the jail decreased in each of those years.
Medical care at the jail during that period was provided by Dr. John Huskins, who has a private practice in Rogers. He held the position for a little more than five years, Ferguson said. Huskins was dismissed about one month ago.
Huskins earned $77,412 per year working at the jail, according to Sparks.
The jail also employees two registered nurses and three practical nurses, Ferguson said. The nurses work under instructions from the jail doctor.
“I sat down and talked with Dr. Huskins and the nurses about six months ago and told them I was concerned about the cost increase,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said he talked to Huskins three times regarding the amount of medication he was handing out to prisoners.
The sheriff said his three sessions with the doctor seemed to have little effect.
“I’m not a doctor,” Ferguson said. “I don’t have the education or the training to tell a doctor what to do. But when you have other entities that supply the drugs concerned, I had to look into it. After looking at the amount of narcotics, I chose, instead of telling him how to be a doctor, that I had another alternative. I asked for his resignation and he complied without a problem.”
Huskins did not return a phone call left with his office personnel seeking comment.
A check with the Arkansas State Medical Board shows Huskins’ medical license is in good standing.
Dr. Warren Lafferty took over the jail doctor position on April 2.
On the Outside
National statistics show the sheriff had good reason to be concerned about increasing drug costs.
As medical costs soared at the Benton County Jail, costs nationally were maintaining a near flat line, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Spending on prescription drugs in the general population increased just 0.5 percent after adjusting for inflation and population growth, according to data firm IMS Health. Without those adjustments, spending increased 3.7 percent last year.
The AP report said the 2011 drug costs continues a trend of restrained spending that began in 2007, when prescription spending dipped 0.2 percent.
Attention Grabbing
In addition to soaring prescription costs, an increase in medical care requests from inmates caught Ferguson’s attention, he said.
Ferguson said inmates make requests for medical care and those are passed on to the medical staff.
There are three daily medication calls for inmates and a fourth med call at bedtime, jail officials said.
“The medication requests were also increasing at an alarming rate,” Ferguson said. “When Huskins first got here, he was seeing 20 to 40 patients per week. At last count, that was up to 150 patients per week. Out of 420 to 430 inmates, about one-third of them were going to see the doctor. That was also alarming and food for thought.”
Ferguson said he believed the apparent ease in obtaining prescription drugs gave some prisoners a chance to stay “high” after their arrests.
“Sixty percent of the people that walk through the jail doors are involved in drugs — whether it be making them, buying them, selling them, using them or stealing and fights over drug deals,” said Ferguson. “They’re addicted to that style of life living in the free world and the habits they’ve got.”
More Prisoners, Lower Costs
Maj. Randall Denzer, who is in charge of the Washington County Detention Center, said the county handles dispensing drugs in a similar manner to the Benton County Jail.
“You’ve got to have a daily sick call,” Denzer said. “That’s a federal mandate. We have three nurses on duty and a doctor comes by once a week. An officer hands out the medication.”
At the Washington County Detention Center, medication is also handed out three times per day and again at bedtime.
However, drug costs in Washington County are significantly lower than Benton County.
In 2009, Washington County spent $57,480 for medicine. The cost was $82,027 in 2010 and $81,339 in 2001.
The jail population in Washington County was 13,768 in 2009, 12,853 in 2010 and 11,720 in 2011.
“If we get somebody that’s really sick but nonviolent, the judge will release them on their own recognizance until they get well,” Denzer said. “Judges and prosecutors have saved us millions of dollars by doing that.”
Denzer said the Washington County jail serves three hot meals a day versus the cold meals served in the Benton County Jail.
That cuts medical costs in a manner unappreciated by most, he said.
“You have a belly full of three hot meals, you’re less likely to have fights break out and things like that,” Denzer said.