Kansas Department of Corrections signs inmate healthcare contract starting at $88.9M annually

Jeff Zmuda, secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections, says the agency signed a minimum two-year contract with VitalCore Health Strategies of Topeka to provide healthcare to about 10,000 adult and juvenile inmates at nine prisons across the state. The contract can be renewed for a maximum of four years. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Corrections signed a two-year contract with a private healthcare company based in Topeka to provide medical services for 10,000 inmates at the state’s eight adult prisons and the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex.

The deal with VitalCore Health Strategies would obligate the state to pay $88.9 million in the initial fiscal year starting July 1, state Department of Corrections officials said. The contract could be lengthened twice under separate two-year extensions. The annual cost escalator would be 3.5% for the life of the contract — an increase of $3 million in the second year of the deal. The pact would run through June 30, 2032, if the maximum of six years were authorized.

“I am confident that VitalCore will serve our residents and the agency well, providing medical care that addresses the needs of the incarcerated population,” said Jeff Zmuda, secretary of the Department of Corrections. “I look forward to a strong, mutually beneficial relationship.”

Under the contract, VitalCore would be responsible for all costs associated with onsite medical services, offsite hospital care, outpatient surgery, ambulatory services, dental, medical personnel, behavioral health, hepatitis C treatment and the electronic health records system. Medical services would be provided 24 hours a day, 365 days each year by a staff of 500 full-time equivalent employees.

News reports regarding VitalCore’s work in Mississippi prisons raised concern about the quality of care provided by the company. Mississippi Today’s series “Behind Bars, Beyond Care” reported that VitalCore denied medication to inmates with hepatitis C and HIV, an untreated broken arm resulted in an amputation, and a delayed cancer screening led to a terminal diagnosis. There was evidence medical staff in Mississippi prisons labeled inmates as “noncompliant” so they could be sent back to cells without treatment.

Mississippi Today is a news partner with States Newsroom, the parent nonprofit of Kansas Reflector.

The Kansas Department of Corrections said the decision to hire VitalCore was the result of a competitive process that attracted six other companies to the bidding.

“Healthcare services for our population is an essential part of operations in our correctional facilities,” Zmuda said. “This contract allows us to fulfill our obligations to provide healthcare services that meet the needs of our incarcerated population.”

The contract with VitalCore was separate from a $2.3 million arrangement with the University of Kansas Medical Center to provide oversight and monitoring of contractors.

Health challenges of about 9,800 Kansas adult inmates in the Lansing, Hutchinson, El Dorado, Topeka, Ellsworth, Norton, Winfield and Larned facilities were complex given the incidence of mental health issues, chronic hypertension and respiratory conditions as well as cases of hepatitis C and HIV. The state’s juvenile facility in Topeka serves approximately 200 inmates.

In March, Zmuda said the current prison medical care contract was held by Centurion of Kansas, which provided services to state inmates since July 2020. The state contract was put out for bid during November in anticipation of selecting a vendor in 2026.

The Department of Correction’s request for proposals from healthcare companies said residents of KDOC facilities should “receive appropriate and necessary health care in the least restrictive environment while conserving resources and costs.”

VitalCore was founded in 2015 and maintains a headquarters in Topeka. It operates nationwide by serving approximately 80,000 individuals in more than 100 correctional facilities in the United States.