Public welfare

              and mny pay tor the reasonnbl~ value of suoh servioe and care so authorized.
Payment for such onre may be met. by increasin€; the monthly allowance in
excess of the maximum grant provided by law for assistance; or the county
bor-rd mny make payments directly to the person, corporation, association,
institution or agency entitled to receive payment for furnishing such care.
The latter plnn hos been adopted by the Allen County Department of Public
1'V'elfare
The medical program in this county was adopted by the County Depart­ment
of Public Welfare after approval by the County Medical Advisory Com­mittee
consisting of representatives of the medical, dental, pharmacal
societies. hospital nuthorities and other grouQs of citizense The functions
of this Committee nre purely advisory and include amone other things, the
application of state standards to the coun~ medicnl assistance program;
to evaluate medical facilities in the county; to recommend policies, standnrds,
and procedures nocess~ry to tho development a~d operation of Q modical assist­anco
program; to assist in coordination of health ond welfare activities in
tho county; to interpret the wolfare program to the groups thoy represent;
to recommend procedures for n review of decisions by professional erotps. A
Technical Committeo is sot up to roview reports of services; make recommenda­tions
on foos, typo and froquoncy of cnre; invostigate and make recommendation
for handling unusual cnses. Each profession~l person or aSenoy or public or
privato hospitGI shall decide whether he or it wishes to participate in the
medical assistance pro~rQm in accordance with tho policies and prooedures
establishod by the county dopnrtment. All modical assistanco to recipients
is rendered only on the ndvice of tho nttendin& physician.
Reoipionts of public assistance are informed by the county department
ot the medical servicos available and the procedures for obtaining the
servioes as provided in the medical assistance program. They have a froe
ohoice of physioian, dontist, and druggist and. Whe~over possible, ot other
sorvices.
Paymont for servicos renderod is made on the basis of an established
feo schedule or cost standard developod by the individual oounty department
and shall conform to the prevailing fees for such services in the community.
In addition to this modical program provision is made for the hospi­tal
i zation of children under 21 years of ago "suffering from a disease.
dofect or doformity not hopelessly chronic which is susoeptible of imQrove.
mont. cure or benefit by medical or surgical treatmont or hospital ·oare by
speoial study and diagnosis." And a porson 21 yoars of age or ovor "suffor­in&
from a oondition or malady not chronic, or a deformity which could be
benefited by treatment in Do hospital" may also receive such treatment. Such
porsons are admitted to the Indiana University Hospital Center for medical
and surzical treatment. This provision makos it possible for persons with
low incomes to receive needed medical and surgical trcntment.
The duties of the county department of public welfare as dofined by
law include the eare and treatment of ohildren in danger of becoming delin­quont
and provide that the direotor end his assistants shall, under the
supervision of any oourt havin$ jurisdiction of persons on probation, perform
the functions of probation officers as the oourt may direct. In many loss
populated counties, the county welfare dopnrtments perform the functions of
a probation offioer but in the lar~er countios' the juvenile courts have
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