Hospital sues county for cost of inmate care

A downtown Houston hospital this week sued Harris County, claiming the government owes millions of dollars in payments for inmates’ medical treatments.

St. Joseph Medical Center on Monday sought court intervention in a payment dispute stemming as far back as 2012. The hospital asked for owed payments as well as an order barring the Harris County Sheriff’s Office from bringing inmates to the hospital, at least until it agrees to pay for medical services in a way that complies with state law.

“Even after several demands for payment and years of negotiations, the County has yet to pay a single bill,” the hospital’s attorneys said in the lawsuit.

The Harris County Attorney’s Office, which represents the county in lawsuits, denied wrongdoing in a written statement. The sheriff’s office, which polices in unincorporated areas of the county, also oversees operations at the Harris County Jail.

“The Harris County Attorney’s

Office has been engaged in talks with St. Joseph Medical Center for over the past several months concerning the allegations made in their lawsuit. Based on records provided and our opinion of the law we have determined that neither the county nor the sheriff are liable for these charges. We plan to continue discussions with the hospital’s representatives to determine whether we can resolve the issues raised by the center in a way that benefits all parties. Our office will file a response with the court at the appropriate time.”

The hospital’s lawyers took their lawsuit a step further. They also questioned whether the hospital should be providing services to the jail at all.

Texas law requires the county pay for medical services provided to jail inmates, and that it be done through taxpayer-funded services, they said. Locally, that would be Harris Health System, the county’s public health arm that owns and manages two hospitals and several clinics.