MOUND CITY - Struggling to keep prisoner health care costs down, Sheriff Barry Walker reported to the commissioners that he has negotiated with area hospitals to stay within the confines of a Kansas statute stating hospitals must give counties Medicare rates for prisoners needing medical attention.

Walker said that he has been working with local hospitals since he took office and has had little success until recently. Monday, he showed the commissioners a stack of bills that alone will save the county $606 in billing charges.

He continued that the Sheriff's Office is working with Correct Care Solutions in North

Carolina to properly code medical bills to be turned in to Medicare. He said their cost is minimal compared to what the county will save in medical charges.

"The change came because the statute in Kansas qualifies prisoners to receive Medicare/Medicaid rates," said Walker. He continued that the hospitals don't like giving that rate as it cuts much from the rate originally billed to Linn County.

He said that Anderson County Hospital was billing the county at 50 percent of allowable charges, but using the new statute that amount will decrease to 12 cents on each dollar.

Walker said that he is working on pharmaceuticals next, but there is no statute governing medicine. He continued that Auburn Pharmacy in Mound City has been good to work with as many times they even bring medicine at night or on weekends to the jail.

"The next problem is getting them to the hospital," said Walker. He explained that one prisoner was transported to Fort Scott via AMR Ambulance where Walker stayed with the prisoner to avoid overtime charges and the ride cost the county $1,206. Included in that billing was $716 for the call and $2.50 for an aspirin.

Another such incident involved a prisoner being transported twice to the tune of $2,333.50.

"As long as the county is subsidizing AMR at $700,000/year, we should get a discount," said Walker. He contended that county money is paying AMR and the county should not have to pay the same rate as other calls. He ended that his department has requested that AMR rides be recoded with correct codes so the county would receive more of a write-off.