PEER report points to VitalCore staffing shortages, inconsistent reporting in Mississippi inmate healthcare

PEER report points to VitalCore.

Key points

• From October 2024 to April 2025, any unfilled staffing allocation was returned to the state.
• Against the backdrop of a medical crisis in October 2020, VitalCore took over healthcare for the MDOC, inheriting only 128 staff statewide.
• Enrollment at Mississippi's public universities declined slightly between 2025 and 2026 school years.
• Healthcare for prisoners under the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) is at present provided by VitalCore Health Strategies.
• In an official note sent to the Magnolia Tribune, VitalCore Operations Advisor Bryan Collier remarked an problem with the records system is being ironed out.

PEER report points to VitalCore staffing shortages, inconsistent reporting in Mississippi inmate healthcare. By: Jeremy Pittari – November 2, 2026. Mississippi State Penitentiary (MDOC).

For context, a PEER report discovered a substantial portion of unused VitalCore contractual hours in almost every medical category in 2025. Paybacks for staffing shortages are additionally still outstanding.

Meanwhile, a report from the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, or PEER, demonstrates that while improvements are being produced on the healthcare provided to Mississippi's inmate population, more progress is necessary.

Healthcare for prisoners under the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) is at present provided by VitalCore Health Strategies. The firm gained the contract in 2020 under an emergency status.

PEER reviewed the records of 50 inmates, selected at random, to employ for their analysis.

According to the PEER report, areas where VitalCore is session the requirements include keeping a monthly log of pregnant inmates, maintenance of a fleet of four mobile medical units, and providing physical and mental health screenings in a timely manner after intake.

During the previous calendar year, MDOC had 22 pregnant women on the rolls, of which 11 offered birth while in custody. Four of the women were published prior to delivery of the child, with the remaining seven still in the gestation period.

"In addition to listing the women's estimated due dates, the pregnancy log also included the women's dates of intake into MDOC custody, demographic characteristics and next appointment dates, " the report observed.

For context, a majority of incoming inmates additionally received the proper screenings in a timely manner. While 92% of the sample population received a mental health screening within 12 hours of arrival, it was cited in the report that 98% of the sampled inmates received a physical examination within 14 days of entering MDOC custody. The mental health assessment includes determining the risk of suicide and the person's social history. There were areas where PEER believes the firm could improve.

According to the findings, VitalCore was not recording all of the aspects of the healthcare intake log and physical assessment during intake. Additionally missing were recordings of every necessary aspect of the screenings for mental health.

"VitalCore has been making great strides to implement and refine its documentation to meet client needs. While the report identified areas for clerical improvement, its findings additionally indicated that VitalCore is gathering the primary contractual requirements for the delivery of necessary healthcare services to Mississippi's incarcerated population, " Collier continued, importantly.

Collier remarked the business has lately put an Electronic Medical Records system in place to improve the documentation and reporting of inmate health.

"In the beginning of its work with the state, VitalCore discovered there was a nonfunctional Electronic Medical Records system in place. Consequently, VitalCore implemented a new system to improve the accuracy and continuity of patient care, " Collier described in the statement. "VitalCore has been making great strides to implement and refine its documentation to meet client needs."

Staffing shortages and inconsistencies in the records of sick call requests were additionally observed by PEER. Furthermore, annual physicals did not take place for every inmate, the report determined.

PEER did report that extra medical records were provided by VitalCore that demonstrated some improvement in that area, ".but VitalCore still did not achieve full contractural compliance in those areas."

Medical staffing has been a difficulty, but VitalCore's President Viola Riggin informed a legislative committee last month that they have lately exceeded the minimum requirements.

VitalCore notes in it's statement to the Magnolia Tribune it has been making efforts to rise staffing.

"Against the backdrop of a medical crisis in October 2020, VitalCore took over healthcare for the MDOC, inheriting only 128 staff statewide. By October 2024, VitalCore had rose staffing to 677 licensed professionals. It contributed to a significant reduction in the state's death and suicide rates and an overall improvement of the healthcare conditions statewide, " Collier described in the statement. "In October 2024, VitalCore agreed to growth the staffing by an further 170 full-time clinical personnel. By April 2025, VitalCore was well over the 90% required threshold and today has over 675 full-time positions."

In practice, the PEER report discovered that MDOC's analysis of VitalCore's performance resulted in the need for the business to payback $6 million due to unfulfilled staffing hours during the first three quarters of 2025.

"Based on an analysis of MDOC's review of VitalCore's staffing hours, VitalCore's medical personnel has filled an average of 75 percent of the hours required by contract over the course of the first three quarters of 2025, " the report indicated.

At the time of the report's release, MDOC has so far received $2.1 million in paybacks for the staffing shortages from the first quarter of that year, but paybacks for subsequent quarters remain unpaid.

"From October 2024 to April 2025, any unfilled staffing allocation was returned to the state. As it was a contractual agreement as we built up our workforce, " Collier responded, vitalCore does not see this process as punitive.

Notably, the lowest rates documented were 5% of filled hours for lab services and 3% of filled hours for records and administration services.

Optometry had the highest rate of filled hours at 77%, followed by dentistry at 42%.

Problems with sick call requests centered on a difference between the number of sick calls submitted to the number of calls documented in the records. While four records indicated more sick calls that originally logged in the spreadsheet, of the 50 medical records reviewed for the report, data for nine inmates reflected less sick calls than lodged on the original spreadsheet.

Annual physicals were additionally lacking, the PEER report indicated. Out of the 50 inmate records reviewed, 29 had been in MDOC custody for a year or more. Of those 29 inmates, only two received a physical assessment during the review period.

VitalCore indicated annual physicals were not conducted since it was abiding by a previous MDOC policy adopted in 2021 that mandates physical assessments be conducted between every one to four years, "based on the inmates' age and health status."

Nevertheless, now that new rules were adopted in January of this year by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, VitalCore informed PEER that it has moved to annual examinations.

For context, the contract between MDOC and VitalCore, nevertheless, called on annual physicals prior to the 2026 change, PEER observed.

"While VitalCore is making progress towards providing annual physical assessments, PEER notes that VitalCore should abide by the requirements outlined in its contract with MDOC inasmuch as it abides by MDOC policy and NCCHC standards, " the report described. Regarding the Author(s).

Jeremy Pittari is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Born and raised in Slidell, La., he moved to South Mississippi in the early 90s. Jeremy earned an associate in arts from Pearl River Community College and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's of arts in journalism. A week after Hurricane Katrina, he began an internship as a reporter with the community newspaper in Pearl River County. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position at that news outlet where he covered the recovery process post Katrina in Pearl River and Hancock Counties. For almost 17 years he wrote concerning local administration, education, law enforcement, crime, business and a variety of other topics. Email Jeremy: [email protected].

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For now, PEER report points to VitalCore staffing shortages, inconsistent reporting in Mississippi inmate remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.