Calif. prison audit finds waste, abuse

[Judi Lynn]

Aug. 2, 2006, 8:19PM
Calif. prison audit finds waste, abuse

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's prison system has such lax spending practices on health care that a urologist was able to charge $2,036 an hour to treat inmates and an orthopedic surgeon billed the state for 30 hours of work for a single day, according to an audit released Wednesday.

The report by the state controller's office said such wasteful spending had contributed to the soaring cost of prison health care, which rose from $153 million in 2001 to $821 million this year.
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Westly said he will ask the state attorney general to consider criminal charges against the unnamed doctors, nurses and laboratories mentioned in the audit. He also will seek compensation.
(snip)

Some providers _ including the urologist and surgeon _ took advantage of the department's poor negotiations for services and lax oversight of billing and payments, the audit said. For example, the corrections department paid the orthopedic surgeon nearly $1.5 million in one year.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4090780.html

[Faux pas]

1. It's about time they paid attention down there. I worked for

Calif Corrections for 12 yrs and have always been tempted to write a tell-all book. The waste and dishonestly they're admitting to is just the tip of the iceberg. Thanks for the info.