Butler County is owed nearly $27,000 in overpayments made for Butler County Prison inmates’ health care given outside the facility.

County Controller Ben Holland said payments were mistakenly made to the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania’s Prison Inmate Medical Cost Containment, duplicating payments to Wexford Health Sources.

Wexford is the prison’s health service provider. PIMCC is CCAP’s consulting service for medical costs in prisons.

Under the payment system for inmate health care, PIMCC pays a hospital, Wexford pays PIMCC and the county pays Wexford any remaining amount due.

After Holland noticed a “courtesy” invoice from PIMCC looked like an actual invoice, he researched past payments to both PIMCC and Wexford.

“Did we ever pay one in the past?” he said he asked about what amounts to a copy of an invoice Wexford pays.

Holland found multiple invoices not requiring any action from the county were paid.

A total of $26,866 in overpayments dating back to 2012 was identified.

Of that total, $11,977 in refunds is owed to the county from Wexford.

Although PIMCC initially received the double payments, it subsequently refunded money to Wexford.

Holland explained PIMCC ensures any state Medicaid and federal Medicare coverage is tapped into when paying a bill to a hospital.

Wexford then covers the remaining cost to PIMCC.

The other $14,889 in double payments predate Wexford’s contract with the county.

Holland said Wexford is cooperating with the county to correct the issue.

The controller said that money likely went to Wexford’s predecessor, Southern Health Partners, making it more difficult to obtain.

For inmate care outside the prison, Wexford pays 100 percent of the first $30,000 spent, 50 percent between $31,000 to $49,000 and none after 50,000.

“It doesn’t affect service,” Holland said about the percentages. “It limits their liability.”

The county pays Wexford a base annual fee of $908,736 in monthly installments of $75,728.

Holland initially broached the topic at the county prison board meeting Tuesday.