FORMER IDOC MEDICAL PROVIDER CORIZON FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY - OWING BOISE AREA HOSPITALS AND OTHERS MILLIONS FOR PRISONER CARE
In a federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed February 15, 2023 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 23-90086 (CML)), Tehum Care Services, Inc., which did business in Idaho as Corizon Health Services, Corizon Health and Corizon, LLC, - the former contract provider of medical services for Idaho prisoners - admit they owe unknown millions of dollars in unsecured debt to St. Alphonsus and St. Lukes hospitals in Boise.
In the Form 204 filed with their bankruptcy petition, Corizon listed St. Alphonsus as the number one unsecured creditor, while St. Luke's is listed as number two, both being owed more than any other creditors. Third on the list is the Capital Regional Medical Center at the University of Missouri, who Corizon admits owing $12M. Number 8 on the list is the Arizona Department of Corrections, who Corizon admits owing $2,615,593. Other entities owed money include law firms, medical service and product providers, laboratories, (other) hospitals, universities and vendors. According to the filings, Corizon owes somewhere between 200 and 999 separate creditors, with liabilities up to $50 million. Estimated assets for the company are listed only between $1M and $10M.
What isn't listed in the Form 204 is the number of Idaho and other prisoners around the country who currently have pending lawsuits against Corizon for failing/refusing to provide proper medical treatment, with some of these suits potentially realizing hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, medical needs of Idaho prisoners were consistently and intentionally neglected, with the IDOC refusing to override medical decisions of Corizon (non-medical) administrators, even to the point of inmate patients losing limbs, sight, and even life.
In October, 2022 the IDOC refused to renew their contract with Corizon and instead contracted with a different vendor to provide medical service to Idaho prisoners. Centurion, the new provider, is proving to be just as inept, irresponsible and indifferent as Corizon, and seems to be headed down the same proverbial road as did Corizon, seeking profits over patients.
Because the IDOC - per contract - pays Centurion a base amount per contract period, every penny saved by the vendor by not providing medical services is money in [their] pockets, thereby incentivizing the company to deny necessary medical services/items. As of late February, 2023, Centurion continues to claim that the complete and/or timely lack of medical services to Idaho prisoners is due to a lack of available staff, but they [continue to] promise to do better.
The lessons learned by the IDOC in utilizing private companies/vendors for providing medical services to Idaho prisoners should have resonated through government, but if it has, they certainly haven't gotten the point. While the state ignoring the medical needs of prisoners isn't even on the average citizen's radar (unless friend or loved one is a prisoner), the hit to Idaho's economy to the tune of millions of dollars written off in Corizon's bankruptcy should raise a few eyebrows in the statehouse this session.
You can find the name and contact information for your local state representative and/or senator by visiting the Legislative Services office website at: http://www.lso.idaho.gov or by phone at (208) 334-2475.