Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 2
A 2, approve modification number 3 for inmate health care software.
>> what this does now that I've quickly perused it is it allows for the possibility of billing fraud and it will look legitimate because the people saying they are rendering health care are the ones who verify the billing.
there is no option to go straight to the people.
the billers claim they help to find out if they ever got the health care.
>> mr. Price, tell us exactly what that does and so you are saying this opens the door to fraud.
>> absolutely.
especially billing fraud.
>> this is computer software, right?
>> yes, sir.
unfortunately this doesn't fall into my area of expertise.
bonnie floyd, she's in training all we'll.
if ms. Arte mu.
s would like to come occupy the office, I can get in touch with mrs.
floyd.
>> but this modification does what?
it adds something.
>> what's your name miss tamara?
>> this modification allows the Travis County juvenile probation department to procure the same type of software that's already in use by the sheriff's office.
>> that's the reason it's a modification.
so we're just adding to a current contract.
we're expanding it from the sheriff's office over to the juvenile system.
>> correct.
juvenile probation department.
>> but it's already -- it's been in place.
>> yes.
>> but the software doesn't allow any options to verify directly with a patient that is alleged to have been rendered health care.
>> do we know that from this agenda item?
this is just a modification.
we don't know that's true.
>> from the software, it doesn't say anywhere there's any verification with the patient.
>> this is just modification of a contract.
this isn't a procurement, per se, but we can certainly look into whether or not there is a verification with the patient.
>> okay.
>> this agenda item doesn't speak to that.
it doesn't detail the type of service just that it's a modification of the contract to expand software access.
which hopefully will -- is -- assists us in duplicative billing.
>> but if it's been in place, I guess the question is have we had issues with it and we can contact the sheriff's office to find out if the sheriff has had issues.
I'm assuming that juvenile probation they've got a good report from the sheriff's office, otherwise I'm sure they wouldn't want to expand the same software to their programs.
>> it's my understanding that the sheriff's office would not necessarily take a complaint by a patient who is at the same time an inmate so how would they know?
>> that's a whole lot bigger than us.
the sheriff runs the jail and everything regarding inmates.
what we do once a year is fund the program.
that's why I suggest you may want a conversation with somebody in the sheriff's office who is over this particular program.
it's way beyond our knowledge and authority.
>> well, that's why I'm bringing it to your attention so now you are aware.
>> it's way beyond our knowledge and authority.
the sheriff has jurisdiction over this because it involves inmates in the jail, period.
what we do once a year during the budget process is to approve or reject budget requests.
and I can tell you this is small in the grand scheme of the sheriff's budget.
>> I am sure the amount is small in the grand scheme of people who don't have to pay it directly budget.
nevertheless, you've probably heard the phrase garbage in, garbage out.
what that means is you are not verifying the accuracy of data you are going to be preparing budgets based on not necessarily the truth.
you want to go back straight to the people anyone claims they are helping and make sure that those people actually agree to whatever is said statistically about them before you start throwing money around paying the people who said oh, yeah, we are wonderful, we rendered this health care to these folks.
>> if you and the sheriff have issues we should address later on, please bring them back.
we'll have a separate agenda item.
>> okay.
>> move approval.
>> second.
>> discussion?
all in favor in that passes by unanimous vote.
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