Identify some effects that advancements in technology may have on health care in correctional facilities

Technology improves the quality of life and allows health care professionals to be more productive by eliminating redundant tasks. Each new application of a technology creates opportunities for new professional fields. As new technologies prove to be beneficial, increased use will lower costs. Some states have implemented the electronic health record (EHR), which automates the operations of health information management in twenty-first-century correctional facilities. Because there is no formal process for sharing health information from community providers, to jail health staff, to prison health staff, and back to community providers, millions of health dollars are wasted each year repeating the same tests, exams, and information-gathering processes on the same people. Electronic health information exchange could help eliminate some of these costs and redundancies. Correctional health care has seen the introduction of technology in recent years that, as proven in private industry, has become more affordable and accessible. One technology in particular—telemedicine—is bringing the benefits of improved access to health services and cost savings to corrections.