Santa Cruz County Grand Jury • 2004-2005

Dominican Santa Cruz Hospital/Jail Medical Facility

Published: May 04, 2005 14 pages
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Findings 53 findings

F1
In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure public access to emergency medical services regardless of ability to pay. Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services must provide a medical screening examination when a request is made for examination or treatment for an emergency medical condition. Hospitals are required to provide stabilizing treatment for patients with emergency medical conditions [USC 42 § 1395(dd)].3
F2
Increased use of services is a key driver of rising hospital costs. While costs have continued to increase, reimbursements from government and many private health insurers have not kept pace. Increased use of Emergency Department services by patients not requiring this level of hospital care strains an already fragile emergency medical care system and may result in increased waiting times and ambulance 3 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site, http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/emtala/default.asp. - 4 Shades of Gray: diversion. Public inebriates consume hospital resources and could be better managed in alternative settings. Medically indigent inebriates further tax the system because they are uninsured.
F3
According to HSA personnel, emergency-room visits can be costly. At Dominican Hospital, it costs about $350,000 to $500,000 annually to treat indigent drunks.4
F4
A person can be booked “in absentia.” This happens if an arrestee has an immediate and serious medical condition that requires emergency medical treatment before going to jail. Santa Cruz County is responsible for medical care because the person under arrest is too injured to go to jail.
F5
In regard to medical clearance of an arrestee prior to booking, the jail nurse on duty triages5 the arrestee at the door. If arrestees cannot stand on their own, they are taken to Dominican Hospital by the arresting agency for medical clearance. The cost of the medical care while at Dominican Hospital falls on the individual. If the individual cannot pay, Dominican Hospital assumes the cost. If an inmate needs hospitalization or treatment after booking, the financial responsibility belongs to the Sheriff’s budget.
F6
The safety room at the Main Jail (drunk tank) is not often used. Confining a detainee in the safety room requires frequent observation of the detainee. Another restraining device, the safety chair, can be used for a few hours at a time until the detainee “settles down.”
F7
Detention personnel said the biggest drain on the jail’s medical budget is “serial drunks.” These are people are arrested repeatedly for PC § 647(f) (Drunk in Public), a misdemeanor.
F8
Ambulances in California must bring patients to emergency rooms unless the patients have adequate mental capacity to refuse treatment and have no obvious injuries.
F9
Detention personnel say that handling inebriates is staff intensive. They often exhibit behavioral problems, are homeless and can have underlying medical problems. Some “frequent flyers” are recognized by detention nurses upon arrival as having chronic medical problems. Those needing treatment must be taken to the hospital Emergency Department. According to Detention personnel, the target group in Santa Cruz County is about 10 people who are routinely picked up for drunkenness.6
F10
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, in-custody patients who had used the Emergency Department while in custody sometimes return on their own to use it as a source of narcotics and as an alternative to “street-acquired” medications.
F11
Detainees do not have a large effect on staffing in the Emergency Department but can affect patient flow through the department. Having to perform Driving Under the 4 Santa Cruz Sentinel, “County will offer drunks treatment,” July 27, 2004. See Definitions. Santa Cruz Sentinel, “County will offer drunks treatment,” July 27, 2004. Shades of Gray: - 5 Influence (DUI) blood draws may affect staffing because medical technicians are taken away from caring for other patients.
F12
When an officer picks up an inebriate in public, the inebriate is sometimes given the choice of going to jail or going to the hospital. According to Emergency Department personnel, the inebriate often chooses the hospital.
F13
Weekend and overnight shifts are more impacted by inebriates and drug users because they come in during those shifts more often. Staffing levels are lower during the night shift. If inebriates are medically stable, they may occupy a bed for eight to 10 hours to sober up. It usually takes at least four hours for a patient to sober up and be ready to discharge. Typically, an officer does not stay with them. For many of these patients, the reason they were detained is no longer applicable (i.e., public intoxication), and they are released without being charged.
F14
Inebriates are often brought to the hospital by ambulance. There are a total of 13 ambulances in service in the County of Santa Cruz (in and out of service at different times). If they are tied up on calls for inebriates, they cannot answer calls for other emergency situations.
F15
Detainees can be a factor in overwhelming an emergency room because frequently they arrive unannounced, especially if they are coming in a police car directly from being arrested. With an ambulance, the emergency room gets a few minutes’ warning. The emergency room could use that time to get a bed ready. If someone just “shows up,” there is more pressure to move people around.
F16
If inebriates come in off the street (for example, they were in a bar fight), they are evaluated by a physician to determine if they are sufficiently medically stable to go to jail. Those patients may arrive in an ambulance or a police car. Funding
F17
In 1994, Dominican Hospital and Santa Cruz County signed a contract that specifies, “persons under arrest by the County Sheriff’s Department or incarcerated in the County jail” are county-responsible patients. The county is responsible for the cost of their health care.7
F18
Dominican Hospital accepts reimbursement for services from Santa Cruz County at a negotiated and agreed-upon rate.
F19
Dominican Hospital personnel say that early this year Detention administration implemented a new policy requiring that a triage nurse at the sallyport fill out the Medical Triage/Sallyport Refusal form and send it to the hospital with the officer and inebriate. Once individuals have been treated at the hospital and medically cleared, they are taken to jail for booking. All medical services provided prior to booking are now the financial responsibility of the individual. Despite the lack of health 7 County of Santa Cruz and Dominican Hospital Services Agreement, 1994. - 6 Shades of Gray: insurance/financial resources for many of these patients, the hospital is required by law to provide services but is not guaranteed any reimbursement. In addition, this new procedure requires that a new form must accompany the bill in order to secure payment for inmates transported to the hospital from county detention facilities. Dominican Hospital personnel say that this new procedure was put into effect without adequate communication about the changes to either Dominican Hospital or to law enforcement, creating much confusion.
F20
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, the approved patient payment is based on a hospital services agreement reimbursement contract. Reimbursement for outpatient care covers the cost of services. However, reimbursement for inpatient services does not cover total costs.
F21
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, patients in custody may require Emergency Department and other hospital services. Hospital personnel say that the costs of providing care should not be the responsibility of the hospital. Sometimes the hospital has no way to ascertain the booking status of a patient before providing services.
F22
HSA personnel said that whether the county is legally responsible for emergency room care for detainees who have not been formally booked is a “gray area.”
F23
There is a distinction between eligiblity for Medi-Cal and Medi-Cruz in Santa Cruz County. Medi-Cal recipients must meet certain criteria including income, citizenship, children and disabilities. Medi-Cal is a federal program administered by the state.
F24
Medi-Cruz is the county’s response to CA Government Code § 17000. It applies to people in the county who have no other resources, i.e., homeless, indigent, undocumented aliens or older people without children.
F25
Services available to Medi-Cruz recipients are: • primary health care in clinics; • X-rays; • pharmaceuticals; • emergency care; and • hospital (in-patient) care.
F26
Medi-Cruz does not cover jailed inmates. The medical costs for incarcerated patients come from the Detention Jail budget. Even if they are active Medi-Cruz patients, services cease after they are booked according to HSA personnel.
F27
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, there is a staff member at Dominican Hospital to assist people to sign up for Medi-Cruz and Medi-Cal. This position is not staffed 24 hours a day. Shades of Gray: - 7
F28
Patients determined eligible for Medi-Cruz services can have treatment paid for retroactively. However, it is up to the client to cooperate and follow through with the paperwork for this to be accomplished.
F29
The medical budget for detention facilities is $3 million. The three largest components of the detention medical budget are: • nursing/medical care (salaries) within the jail; • services delivered at the county health clinics (X-rays, pharmacy and laboratory are the largest intra-agency cost); and • outside medical care (Doctors On Duty or dental care).
F30
CHIP funds may not be used to support health services provided to persons detained in a county or city jail or other correctional facility (W&I Code Section 16995).8
F31
HSA personnel believed that claims for indigent detainees might be partially covered by CHIP money. The amount of funding the county receives from CHIP doesn’t allow for 100 percent reimbursement of all of those claims. The total 2004-2005 CHIP allocation for Santa Cruz County is $77,214.
F32
According to HSA personnel, there is disagreement over who is financially responsible for blood draws and Breathalyzer tests done on detainees to determine drug and alcohol levels. The law is not specific, and it is an area of contention.
F33
The jail does not do Breathalyzer tests or blood draws on arrested subjects. Law enforcement officers perform Breathalyzer tests. The hospital does not have Breathalyzer equipment. Nurses at the Main Jail do not take blood alcohol levels. They cannot collect evidence.
F34
Hospital personnel must perform blood draws. As a result, this takes away from staff time to collect samples. Hospital staff is often called to testify in court regarding collection of such samples as evidence. Staff are not reimbursed for court appearances. Procedural Alternatives
F35
A Santa Cruz County elected official says that legislation should be changed. People who are eligible for state medical benefits should not lose those benefits when incarcerated.
F36
According to a Dominican Hospital medical staff member, patients could be better handled at the jail if there were an infirmary on site. Once they are cleared medically, they should be able to be monitored on site at the jail. Application for California Healthcare for Indigents Program Funding for Fiscal Year 2004-5, May 4,
F37
Detention Health Services intends to clarify in writing the criteria for transporting individuals to emergency departments for medical clearance prior to bringing them to jail. It appears that many people being brought to emergency departments could be brought to the jail directly by police officers. Training for police also appears necessary so that individuals are brought to the appropriate location.9
F38
Detention Medical staff is also evaluating current staffing patterns and hours to better serve this population in a cost-effective and clinically appropriate manner. Additional staffing may be required on Friday and Saturday nights for medical direction of these cases. This is a peak time for cases with alcohol and drug involvement. 10
F39
Dominican Hospital staff has suggested that the jail medical facility should be sufficient to take care of inebriates if patients could receive intravenous treatment.
F40
Netcom staff is currently developing management reports based upon computer- aided-dispatch data to help determine when and how ambulances are dispatched for serial inebriates, as well as the involvement of law enforcement from different jurisdictions. Because of the law forbidding alternate destinations,11 the best way to reduce emergency room use for this purpose is to not have law enforcement call for an ambulance solely for public inebriates. Once Netcom is contacted to dispatch an ambulance, national medical procedures do not give them broad latitude in these areas.
F41
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, the Main Jail could decrease use of the Emergency Department by providing the following services: • more advanced nursing assessment and triage at the medical triage/sallyport to decrease refusals; • observation and sobering; • wound evaluation and care; and • Breathalyzer and blood or urine alcohol testing.
F42
According to Dominican Hospital personnel, law enforcement manipulates the system by not arresting the client under the influence or only citing after sobering, thereby avoiding a booking fee/court appearance.
F43
According to Detention personnel and Dominican Hospital personnel, a previous sobering center in the county was closed due to a patient/inmate escaping and creating problems in the neighborhood. HSA Director, former Sheriff, Report Back on Emergency Room Issues Related to Criminal Justice and Public Inebriates, April 14, 2003. HSA Director, former Sheriff, Report Back on Emergency Room Issues Related to Criminal Justice and Public Inebriates, April 14, 2003. See Finding 1. Shades of Gray: - 9
F44
The Sheriff’s Department, Netcom and AMR, a local ambulance service, will be further analyzing local data and processes that lead to emergency room use. Alternatives in Santa Cruz County
F45
Project Connect, a new program of the county’s Homeless Person’s Health Project, is a grant program administered through the Health Services Agency, designed to reduce misuse of emergency services such as ambulance, emergency rooms and fire services.
F46
Project Connect seeks out individuals who have had five or more ER visits in one year and enrolls them in an intensive case management process. Project Connect is funded by a $300,000 grant from the California Healthcare Foundation and The California Endowment. The funds pay primarily for staff who connect participants with outside agencies providing many services.
F47
In its first year of operation, Project Connect has seen a 43 percent decrease in emergency room visits, a 35 percent decrease in jail bookings and a 25 percent decrease in ambulance transports by its participants. Project Connect takes a holistic approach, helping people access primary health care but also supporting constructive life changes.
F48
In November of 2004, Santa Cruz County started a Serial Inebriate Program in hopes of decreasing the jail population and beginning some meaningful rehabilitation. This program is funded by a grant through HSA and involves the Probation Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department.
F49
In the Serial Inebriate Program, sentenced inmates can choose to serve their time at a sobering facility in Santa Cruz, located on 7th Avenue, in lieu of jail. For instance, they might have a choice of a specified jail sentence or serving the same amount of time in the rehabilitation program. According to detention personnel, the program is working well; although sometimes inmates have two or three failures before they commit to treatment.
F50
Under the Serial Inebriate Program, inebriates who are arrested three times go to detoxification or jail. Serial Inebriate Program in San Diego County
F51
Started in January 2000, the Serial Inebriate Program is an innovative effort involving the City and County of San Diego, the San Diego Police and Sheriff's Departments, San Diego County Superior Courts, San Diego County Health and Human Services and Mental Health Systems, Inc. A number of agencies and treatment partners work in tandem with SIP. This collaborative effort provides a less expensive and more appropriate alternative to emergency departments and jails for treatment of homeless chronic inebriates. This program has had a dramatic effect on San Diego emergency - 10 Shades of Gray: departments.12 In San Diego, the first year of the program saw 144 people enter the program. A year later, 58 percent had had no contact with police since leaving treatment.
F52
The goals of the Serial Inebriate Program (SIP) are to: • slow or stop the revolving door cycle of chronic alcoholics going in and out of detoxification centers, county jail and emergency rooms; • divert this population off the street and into county-funded treatment programs; • significantly reduce the uncompensated costs, time constraints and manpower burdens to San Diego County's healthcare, law enforcement and judicial infrastructure caused by homeless, chronic alcoholics; and • give people who routinely live on the street an opportunity to create a stable mainstream lifestyle.
F53
The program strategy offers treatment in a joint City/County-funded program in lieu of custody time resulting from a guilty verdict for public intoxication. Once in treatment, clients are provided with wraparound services designed to help their recovery from alcoholism and begin moving them toward re-entering society as a sober community member. Conclusions

Recommendations 7