DOC Facilities Implement Clinical Access to Healthcare Records Through Tablets
MILFORD — The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced that medical and mental health clinicians across all DOC facilities now have dedicated tablets that provide real-time access to health records, strengthening clinical decision making and continuity of care for incarcerated individuals.
The implementation of these tablets puts in practice a recent recommendation made by Dr. Sharen Barboza, who was commissioned by DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins to review six in-custody deaths by suicide in 2025. Barboza recommended strengthening the continuity of care provided by treatment teams and addressing the length and quality of clinical contacts and documentation.
The DOC worked closely with its healthcare provider, VitalCore, to ensure these tablets support clinicians in accessing timely, accurate, and essential information while providing care inside DOC facilities.
“The use of these tablets for clinicians will have a wide-ranging and positive impact on how we provide healthcare services to the individuals in our care,” Jenkins said. “In real time, team members can review, access, and respond to an individual’s medical needs, but also record all relevant and pertinent information so the continuum of care remains consistent.”
The tablets allow clinicians to review prior clinical contacts, treatment notes, medication information, and other relevant documentation at the point of care. This immediate access helps medical and mental health staff make more informed decisions and supports a more consistent standard of care across DOC facilities.
The technology provides nursing staff with a more efficient way to document medical administration in real time, reducing the need to sync or enter this information to the health record at a later point.
The tablet rollout is one of several recent steps the DOC has taken, in partnership with VitalCore Health Strategies, to strengthen access to health and behavioral health services. The department previously launched a first-of-its-kind, after-hours mental health wellness helpline designed to strengthen and expand services for incarcerated individuals.
Through the helpline, individuals now have access to qualified providers during extended coverage hours and through the helpline overnight, ensuring support is available when concerns arise outside the standard schedule. Phased rollout of the helpline began on Dec. 1, 2025. As of April 6, the helpline has received 172 calls from incarcerated individuals seeking assistance. The DOC and VitalCore provided service based on the nature of the call.