Treating patients in a correctional setting presents a number of challenges not present in the community medical setting. These include patients that typically do not have access to routine medical care, and their visit with correctional health care staff may be the first exposure to proper medical care they have received in a number of years, or ever, in some cases. Inmate patients typically suffer from a higher incidence rate of mental illness, substance abuse, chronic and acute illness and are more likely to malinger symptoms for personal gain such as seeking prescription medication to sell in jail, to manipulate housing assignments or, in the worst cases, to present security threats such as attempting to escape during transport to a hospital or other community provider.

This particular area of health care is extremely litigious compared to communitybased treatment and a majority of cases are frivolous and never advance past the initial pleading stages of the lawsuit. Regardless of the quality of care provided, providers may expect to be the recipient of an inmate lawsuit if they provide correctional health care services for any substantive period of time. Despite this challenging legal setting, since CHC‘s acquisition of HPL in 2007, the number of per capita lawsuits filed by inmates has steadily declined. We do, however, always regret the rare situation where treatment doesn’t meet our standards and results in a negative outcome. We constantly strive to improve our treatment models through implementing best in class correctional health care policies and protocols, routine continuing education training of our staff and utilizing quality improvement monitoring of outcomes to identify and correct any deficiencies in care.

Dr. Stephen Cullinan, a co-founder of HPL, is a respectable and compassionate doctor who has treated tens of thousands of inmates in Illinois and other states over 16 years. He and his late wife enjoy a statewide reputation as caring physicians who have contributed millions of dollars to Illinois universities for scholarships and continuing education. Although Dr. Cullinan retired from employment with CHC in January, we still respect his past contribution to the medical community in Illinois as well as his prior dedication to providing needed health care services in area correctional facilities.

Due to pending litigation, we cannot provide further comment on your request concerning state board inquiries about Dr.

Cullinan, nor can we provide specific information regarding settled litigation as the terms of all such settlements are subject to confidentiality agreements.

Shelton Frey is vice president and general counsel of Correctional Healthcare Companies, Inc., Greenwood Village, Colo.