JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A four-month investigation into HealthLink Jax is nearing its conclusion, according to a Jacksonville city councilman who initially raised concerns about potential illegal misconduct and misuse of taxpayer dollars.
HealthLink Jax is a program designed to help Duval County residents without health insurance access medical care and avoid unnecessary emergency room visits.
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City Councilman Rory Diamond said Tuesday that attorneys reviewing the program have begun providing draft findings, though he expressed frustration with the pace of the process. He said he expects the investigation to be completed and publicly released within two weeks.
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Diamond first called for an emergency meeting in November, citing numerous complaints he said he received about the program. At the time, he alleged possible wrongdoing tied to the city’s telehealth contracts, including potential conflicts of interest and fraud.
“My phone is like the bat phone, and when it starts to ring over and over again about the same thing, it usually means it’s a big problem,” Diamond said in a prior interview. “That means we’ve got to look at the documents and figure out what happened.”
Among the concerns raised were allegations that patients may have been directed to emergency rooms unnecessarily, potentially increasing costs billed to government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
More than 30,000 documents have been turned over to attorneys as part of the review, including contracts, financial records and performance data. The materials also include information examining whether another telehealth provider, RightSite Health, could meet the city’s needs.
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During a city council committee meeting Tuesday, Diamond and fellow Councilman Ron Salem said the review is progressing and should be finalized soon.
“I think it will be wrapped up very soon, and clearly by the meeting two weeks from now, we’ll have it done,” Diamond said.
HealthLink Jax’s provider, Telescope Health, and the Jacksonville mayor’s office have denied the allegations of any fraud, misconduct or misuse of taxpayer funds, calling Diamond’s allegation unsubstantiated and without merit.