HealthAccess “A key to our community’s health future”

1. HealthAccess“A key to our community’s health future” Organized under the Shawnee County Medical Society Foundation in 2002

2. Did you know? • A 2006 report from the Kaiser Foundation says 25.9% of low income, nonelderly Kansans are uninsured. • 24,000-30,000 Shawnee Co. residents are uninsured. • The uninsured are more likely to be hospitalized for avoidable health problems and less likely to receive preventative care. • Most ER visits by uninsured could be avoided & treated on an outpatient basis.

3. February 2006 United Way Community Needs Survey • 14% said at least one household member not covered by health insurance. • 25% specified ER as place they go when sick or in need of advice about their health. • 17% went without a prescription because they could not afford it. • 12% said a household member needed healthcare in the last year and did not receive it. • Primary reasons they did not get health care: “It costs too much.” (75%) “Not covered by insurance.” (59%)

4. One More Fact… 56% of uninsured Americans can’t afford private health insurance but aren’t eligible for public assistance programs according to an analysis of the 2005 Current Population Survey published on the Health Affairs Website 11/30/06.

5. What is HealthAccess? A community partnership modeled after best practices in Buncombe Co., NC and Wichita, KS. The Health Access program was developed under the Shawnee County Medical Society Foundation in 2002 to: • Improve access to health care for low income, uninsured residents of Topeka and Shawnee County • Combine donated physician care, hospital services, and medication assistance • Enhance work done by Marian Clinic and Shawnee County Health Agency • Address language barriers

6. 320 Shawnee County physicians Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center St. Francis Health Center KS Dept of SRS Community Resources Council 26 Pharmacies Shawnee County Health Agency The Marian Clinic Prescription Network 2 local optical Labs Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Kansas Medical Society PDP Volunteers HealthAccess Partners

7. HealthAccess Goals Provide an organized and efficient system that increases access to health care by: • Recruiting physicians to participate • Assisting patients in finding a medical home • Focusing on “preventative” rather than “episodic” care • Educating patients to access health care appropriately

8. HealthAccess Goals (Cont.) • Encouraging a sense of “dignity” for patients • Tracking the amount of charity care • Providing public recognition to providers • Increasing health outcomes • Lowering the cost of health care using preventative care • Promoting a healthy work force

9. Who is Eligible? • HealthAccess patients must live in Shawnee County, not have insurance, and not qualify for other medical benefit programs. • Total family income must be 150% or less of federal poverty guidelines ($30,000) per year for a family of four.

10. HealthAccess Patient Age

11. HealthAccess Patient Mix

12. Patient Enrollment • Patients are enrolled for a 6 months, with possible re-enrollment. • Patients receive ID and Pharmacy cards. • Prescriptions are purchased with funding provided by the Topeka City Council and the Shawnee County Commission. • A co-pay of $7.50 per generic prescription is required.

13. Prescription Drug Program • Many pharmaceutical companies offer FREE or LOW-COST medications through their patient assistance programs. • The HealthAccess Prescription Drug Program volunteers help patients apply to the patient assistance programs. • Many programs will ship a 90-day supply of the needed medication directly to the doctor’s office. • Part of a community wide effort including Cotton O’Neil, Project Access, Marian Clinic, Shawnee County Health Agency, and Valeo Behavioral Health Care.

14. DonatedCare 2006 Physician Care $551,078.67 Marian Clinic/SCHA $369,419.04 Hospital Care $3,738,746.29 Pharm. Prescriptions $72,615.00 Generic Prescriptions $187,741.03 Total $4,919,600.03

15. Donated Care March 4, 2002 – December 31, 2006 • Number of individuals enrolled = 5,197 (Active=1,648) • Physician Care $2,972,706.04 • Marian Clinic/SCHA $1,159,099.80 • Hospital Care $9,302,867.39 • Generic Prescriptions $1,055,292.46 • Presc. Drug Program $ 757,925.80 Total $15,247,891.49

16. HealthAccess is… An opportunity for physicians, hospitals, city and county government, and community agencies to provide care that is coordinated, efficient, and more effective than any single entity could provide alone.

17. Funding Partners • Topeka Community Foundation • Shawnee County Commission • The City of Topeka • United Way of Greater Topeka • Private donations • Shawnee County Medical Society

18. Challenges • Number of uninsured patients in Shawnee County continues to rise • Maintaining the involvement of all participating organizations and volunteer providers and the addition of new volunteers • Maintaining city and county government funding for prescriptions • Funding for programs and administrative operations

19. Contact Information: Karla Hedquist Gary Caruthers Program DirectorAdministrator khedquist@kmsonline.orggcaruthers@kmsonline.org 623 SW 10th Avenue Topeka, KS 66612 (785-235-0996) www.scmsha.org