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County panel OK’s health contracts

By Melanie Lekocevic

CATSKILL — Legislators on the county’s Health Committee gave the thumbs up to a series of provider contracts related to public health and special education during the committee’s monthly meeting.

The Finance Committee and the Greene County Legislature will vote on the contracts later this month.

The first contract involves a countywide pre-school special education program for children ages three through five who have disabilities. According to New York State Education Law, counties are required to provide appropriate special ed programs for these children, so the committee voted unanimously to contract with Darcy Rossignol, a licensed clinical social worker based in Lexington.

If approved by the Legislature, Rossignol’s contract will run from September of this year through June of 2009.

Also approved unanimously was a resolution authorizing an agreement between Greene County Public Health Nursing Service and Provider Consulting Solutions, Inc., a firm providing medical records review for the public health department. Should the Finance Committee and Legislature adopt the resolution, the contract would provide for medical records review at a rate of $225 per hour.

The company would replace the county’s former records review firm. “Last year, we had another company doing this - it was called Next Wave. We severed that relationship because it was considered inadequate,” said Acting County Administrator Dan Frank.

While the rate the company charges may seem like a hefty price to pay for state-mandated records review, Frank said the new contract will actually save the county $7,000 versus last year’s contract with the former provider.

“They negotiated what appears to be a high rate, but when we really look at the annual numbers, it is a very good deal,” he said.

Medical records for the public health department are reviewed on a quarterly basis. The company will also review records for Family Planning as part of the same contract.

The Health Committee also voted to approve a resolution for a contract between Public Health and the state Department of Health Zoonoses Rabies Agreement. In case you looked at that one twice, zoonoses is the category of disease under which rabies falls — one which can be transmitted from animals to people.

The contract will provide for rabies prevention services, and the reimbursement of rabies expenses. While rabies in humans is rare in the United States — only 39 cases have been diagnosed nationwide since 1990 — it is almost always fatal. People at high risk of contracting rabies, like veterinarians, animal handlers and laboratory workers are often vaccinated against the virus. Those who have been bitten by an infected animal and have not received the vaccination have to undergo a series of shots to protect them from contracting the disease. And none of this is cheap.

“The average cost per person is $800 for a series of immunizations for rabies,” said Public Health Director Marie Ostoyich.

In addition to providing rabies prevention services, the public health department carefully tracks the presence of rabies in the county each year.

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