Analysis of outpatient medical services for correctional institution's inmates entitled to national health insurance: A prison in Taiwan

Background To formulate better future policies, this study aims to understand the outpatient services provided in a prison in Southern Taiwan by the contracted hospital in two phases. Methods Data were analyzed through the outpatient medical services performed by the contracted hospitals in prison in two phases (2013–2015 and 2016–2018). SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze data such as age, medical fees, department, outpatient visits, average number of visits per patient, and common diseases. Results The average age of the treated inmates was 49.34 and 47.04 years in the first and second phases, respectively. Most patients belong in the age group of 41–50 years. The number of medical visits per person increased from 15.6 to 20.6 visits. The average medical fee per visit increased from NTD 748 to NTD 775, and the average days of medication per visit decreased from 14 to 13 days. Commonly visited were family medicine, general medicine, orthopedics, and psychiatry departments. Disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue was the first common disease in both phases, and hypertension was the most common disease. Conclusion The number of medical visits and the average medical fee increased. The medical cost of inmates is higher than the generally insured individuals. If environmental conditions in the correctional facility are improved, the consumption of medical resources will be reduced. There should be a complete therapy and medical treatment plan for mentally ill inmates for a successful return to the society after serving time.