A monthly newsletter was published and disseminated from the very beginning, well before any patients were enrolled, to keep all the disparate entities and organizations informed. Today, a quarterly newsletter is still produced.

As a way of thanking the community on our first anniversary, physicians were also included in a listing of all Project Access participants, published in a 2-page advertisement in the Wichita Eagle.

Patients must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, have a household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, live in Sedgwick County, have no insurance, and not qualify for other programs like Medicare or Medicaid.

Patients are enrolled for three months (for specialty care) or six months (for primary care) and, upon enrollment, receive a Project Access ID Card and a Prescription Card to purchase their medications (with a $4 co-pay).

Using a contracted evaluator, Project Access conducts ongoing comprehensive evaluations to assess patient and program outcomes. Results are used for further planning and for fine-tuning processes.

Upon enrollment, all Project Access patients receive:

• An Identification Card
• A Prescription Card
• A list of participating pharmacies
• Information about expectations for patients
• A release form allowing Project Access to confirm the patient’s information and coordinate their care across participating providers.

All participating physicians get a packet comprised of:

• A description of the program.
• A reply postcard upon which physicians note their commitments, sign, and return.
• A follow-up packet of information, which includes a fax referral form for physicians to fill out, sign, and fax back. Project Access then contacts the patient to process the enrollment.

A manual, covering all the policies and procedures that were established to ensure the program’s accountability and fairness, is available to all Project Access and SRS staff.

Project Access uses special software to track patients and physician commitments. All donated services (administrative data provided on billing forms from hospitals and physicians) are tracked with a Microsoft Access database.

Project Access’ prescription program is managed through a contracted service with a prescription benefit management company called the Prescription Network of Kansas (PNK). PNK utilizes a computerized database accessible to all participating pharmacies. New patients are entered into this database by Project Access staff the same day that the patients are enrolled.

Our enrollment trends are as follows:

• 201 patients from 9/1/99 through 12/31/99.
• 1,079 patients in year 2000.
• 1,214 patients in year 2001.
• 1,182 patients in year 2002.

Although there was a 3% decrease in new patient enrollments in 2002, Project Access has enrolled people with more chronic conditions — requiring more medical services, more prescription drug support, and more case management services.

There are seven staff members who work at the Project Access office:

• On September 1, 1999, the day Project Access opened its doors, two people were on staff: the program director and the administrative assistant.
• In November 1999, the first patient service coordinator was hired.
• Two additional service coordinators were employed — one in August, 2000, and the other in April of 2001.
• A secretary was hired in November 2001.
• The 7th staff position, our prescription service coordinator, was brought on board in November of 2002.

There has been no turnover of the Project Access staff.

Dr. Paul Uhlig established a board for the Central Plains Regional Health Care Foundation, which was then brought into the Medical Society of Sedgwick County. At that time a new board was established, consisting of 11 members, most of whom were physicians. Other representatives were from the hospitals and the United Way. An Operations Council consisting of 26 members provides day-to-day direction and makes formal recommendations for policies and procedures to the board for final approval.

Early on, Project Access made many public presentations and attempted to get as much media coverage as possible. In 2001, a television ad aired on cable stations (which targeted low-income, uninsured people) and on Univision (in Spanish). Brochures were also printed — in English, Spanish and Vietnamese — and were distributed around the community. Project Access continually pursues media coverage and has developed a rapport with media contacts to pitch stories.

Mostly, however, Project Access’ outreach occurs in the six clinics, the residency programs, and physician offices.

To learn more about Project Access/Wichita, go to www.projectaccess.net or call program director Anne Nelson at 1-316-688-0600.