Just as the United Way is driven by outcomes. So too is Project Access. There is an obligation to a whole community of people: the patients, the funders, the medical community, the government, the taxpayers — everyone who has a stake in the outcome — to make sure the money is well spent.

To that end, and to ensure the program’s results are attained, comprehensive evaluations are routinely conducted by Project Access’ contracted evaluator and Operations Council member, Ruth Wetta-Hall of the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita.

At the December Operations Council meeting, Project Access director Anne Nelson presented program statistics through 2002:

• 25-30,000 uninsured patients receive their primary care through the 6 community indigent clinics and 4 primary care residency clinics.
• 35,000 patients at the 6 clinics have been reviewed by SRS eligibility specialists on location to determine eligibility for SRS programs and for Project Access.
• 3,670 patients have been enrolled into Project Access and have received donated medical care and services. Thousands have been enrolled in Medicaid, S-Chip, and other programs as well.
• $20 million in donated services from physicians and hospitals.
• $1,157,958 in prescriptions have been purchased with funding from Sedgwick County Commission and the Wichita City Council, a total of 48,674 claims filed.
• Since July 2002, the Call-A-Nurse Project has been fielding calls Mondays- Fridays, 5pm-11pm, and Saturdays, 8am-6pm.
• 547 physicians are currently participating (147 primary care physicians and 400 specialists) for a total of 9,470 commitments annually.
• 50 physicians volunteer their time in the 6 community clinics.
• Total Medical Society of Sedgwick County membership participation is 72%.

The tally of hospitals currently participating are:

• Via Christi Regional Medical Center
• Wesley Medical Center
• Via Christi Riverside Hospital
• Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital
• Via Christi Rehabilitation Center
• Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center
• Kansas Heart Hospital
• Cypress Surgery Center

And, of course, there are the other providers:

• 69 pharmacies fill prescriptions at 15% below Average Wholesale Price and do not receive payment for filling these prescriptions.
• Local businesses provide services that include physical therapy, durable medical equipment, hospice care, etc.

At the same Operations Council meeting, Ms. Wetta-Hall presented a recent Coalition Member Satisfaction Survey. This poll measured member satisfaction with the planning and implementation of Project Access in the following areas: Leadership, Objectives, Activities, Participation, Process, Outputs, and Outcomes. The responses reflected the combined perceptions of Central Plains Regional Health Care Foundation board members, Project Access Operations Council, and the Physician Participation Committee members.

Overall satisfaction stands at about 4 (on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 = very dissatisfied and 5 = very satisfied) in four key areas:

• Operations Council functioning
• Sustainability activities
• Community involvement
• Progress on objectives and outcomes
And the result averages were:
• Use of media to promote awareness of Project Access — 3.4
• Participation of influential people from key sectors of the community — 3.8
• Participation of minorities — 3.4
• Diversity of membership — 3.7
• Involvement of grassroots leadership — 3.6
• Involvement of grassroots organizations — 3.7
• Civic organizations — 3.7

In addition, respondents expressed a high satisfaction with Project Access leadership and staff. There also was unanimous opinion that Wichita is better off today as a result of Project Access.

The evaluation results are used by Project Access for further planning and as a tool to fine-tune processes as needed to ensure the continuing success of the program.