Telecommunications enables users to make remote diagnoses of prisoners.
By enabling them to be seen by medical specialists without having to be transported out of the correctional facility, it offers the potential to reduce costs and improve public safety while providing prisoners with effective healthcare. Additional funding provided by BoP has enabled the expansion of the telemedicine network to include the FMC in Springfield, Missouri. The data collected is being assessed and the cost-benefit analysis and project report are being developed. An effort to explore the application of telemedicine to jails is planned for FY99.