Telemedicine and EHR Use for Inmates Helps Save State $1B

While electronic health records generally are touted as being able to save money for the providers implementing such systems, one has been quite successful in saving money for taxpayers in Texas, as well.

A statewide EMR developed by Atlanta-based Business Computer Applications, Inc. (BCA), combined with a telemedicine system from the University of Texas Medical Branch and Texas Tech University, successfully improved health outcomes for prisoners while reducing overall costs, leading to $1 billion in savings over the last 10 years for the state's taxpayers, according to IT research firm Gartner Group.

The news comes as more and more locales continue to spend big bucks on medical records systems for prison systems. Georgia, for instance, recently renewed a contract that allows for state agencies--like the Georgia Department of Corrections--to access EMR systems for care and cost savings purposes, according to an opinion piece by BCA CEO Albert Woodward published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this month...