Federal Bureau of Prisons; Medical Data Management

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) currently provides healthcare to more than 156,000 inmates in more than 122 prisons (institutions) geographically dispersed throughout the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. BOP’s Health Services Division (HSD) is responsible for medical, dental, social and psychiatric mental health services provided to Federal inmates in BOP facilities, including health care delivery, infectious disease management, and medical designations. The Reentry Services Division is responsible for inmate health care programs for inmates in community custody and psychologist provided mental health and drug treatment programs. In December 2017, the Government Accountability Office issued a recommendation that BOP improve its data systems so that the financial costs of various treatments could be better tracked and managed. A similar finding was highlighted by the Office of the Inspector General during the same month, expressing that “improved data aggregation will ensure better oversight of the BOP’s health care contracts.”