Corrections_Today_Summer_2025_Vol.87_No.2

Figure 1

health counseling and telepsy chiatry. Dr. Herbert Smyczek, the Hudson Medical Director, stated “I have been able to see a lot more patients this way,” and the data supports that perception. Clini cal productivity related to sick call encounters increased by 18%. The new volume of virtual visits into the housing units has also significantly reduced the number of officer escorted transfers within the facility. According to Lieuten ant Sairilin Parra, “Since starting the tablet initiative, we now have almost half the number of inmates that must physically come to the clinic area. This has decreased safety risks and the passing of contraband.” Lieutenant Parra also stated the patients love it too, because most patients would prefer to not spend

Hudson County has reduced medical grievances related to ‘patients requesting to be seen’ by 92%.

hours down in the clinic area if they can avoid it. At the end of the virtual visit, patients can take an optional survey that is electronically integrated into the work flow. Survey results have revealed over 90% of patients agreed or strongly agreed that the technology worked well, the instructions were easy and simple to use, and their needs and expectations were met. One patient stat ed, “I love the convenience of getting to see the doctor on the tablet if I don’t need to go down to the clinic.” Hudson County’s Inmate Advocate, Gheya Calhoun Butler, has been impressed with the impact the virtual care delivery into the housing units has had on the patient population. “The tablet initiative has really improved access to care, and we’ve seen medical griev ances go down significantly,” stated Calhoun-Butler. Medical grievances are a tool for justice-involved indi viduals to file a formal complaint related to their medical care. While medical grievances can be a helpful measure to identify healthcare access issues, they can also be an early indicator of future legal claims. Since starting the tablet initiative at the beginning of February 2024, medical grievances related to ‘patients requesting to be seen’ have dropped 92% (See Figure 1). The results

demonstrate the promise that this new mode of delivery can have not only on improving healthcare access but also on mitigating potential legal risk. To continue to improve the services being delivered to the patients, Hudson County is reviewing optimiza tion recommendations that will develop new capabilities on the telehealth platform. The goal is to continue to expand access. One planned improvement is to electroni cally integrate language interpreter services into the telehealth platform to streamline the process for non English speaking patients. In addition, exploring the use of real-time transcription during video visits is on the technological roadmap, which may help address barriers to caring for deaf and hard of hearing patients. Virtual healthcare door After establishing the process of conducting real time video visits into the housing units, Hudson is now implementing a patient portal on the tablets via the secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. The appli cation can asynchronously exchange clinical information between patients and providers, allowing unprecedented

Summer 2025 | Corrections Today

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