• About the Initiative
  • Overview
  • Staff List
• Safety Net Collaborative
  • Meeting Information
  • Members
  • Principles
  • Committees
    • Infrastructure Support Task Force
    • Specialty Care Task Force
    • Other Initiatives
  • Capacity Expansion Project
  • Open Meeting Policy
• Behavioral Health
  • Legislative Committee
  • Children's Enhancement Project
• eHealthAlign
• Meeting Calendar
• Newsletter
• Funders
• Statistics
• Reports and Publications

 

reports on health care for region's uninsured

Health Management Associates (HMA), a leading health care consulting firm, has created two reports for MARC's Regional Health Care Initiative, the Kansas City Metropolitan Health Access Policy Assessment Final Report, and the Behavioral Health Needs Assessment for Metropolitan Kansas City. See below for more information about each report.

1. Kansas City Metropolitan Health Access Policy Assessment Final Report

MARC commissioned this report in 2006 to examine providing health care to the region’s uninsured in the region and to make recommendations on how to address the issue.

• Download the report in PDF format

The report indicates that over 190,000 residents of the metropolitan area — about 11 percent of the population — are without health insurance or any other kind of coverage such as Medicaid. The uninsured are found in all counties in the metro area.

While the region has an extensive system of clinics, health departments and Truman Medical Center to provide primary care, this care is often uncoordinated. Specialty care for the uninsured, as well as dental and mental health services, are all critical needs. Many uninsured end up in hospital emergency rooms, overburdening these systems. A recent report by the Missouri Hospital Association, using 2004 data, indicates that metro area hospitals provide over $158 million annually in uncompensated care.

The HMA report recommends the formation of a Health Care Safety Net Coordinating Council with leaders in the health care community. The report also recommends the region undertake specific initiatives under the guidance of the Coordinating Council in three areas.

1. Knit the existing safety net providers into a coordinated system of health care and provide a formalized process for screening patients and providing specialty care.
2. Implement practices that may allow the region to get a larger share of Medicaid and other state and federal dollars.
3. Establish programs that provide affordable health insurance for individuals, families, and businesses.

This report was made possible through the cooperation and funding of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the REACH Healthcare Foundation, and the commitment of many health care organizations and individuals. HMA interviewed over 60 individuals and groups in developing their report.

2. Behavioral Health Needs Assessment for Metropolitan Kansas City

In July 2008, Health Management Associates (HMA) was retained to evaluate behavioral health needs (i.e. mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities) in the region. For six months, HMA conducted surveys, interviews and focus groups with hundreds of people — both consumers and providers of health care in the Greater Kansas City community — about behavioral health issues, focusing on the needs of vulnerable members of our community.  

• Download the report in PDF format

The report includes eight recommendations:

1. Embed recovery practices and principles in the behavioral health service delivery system.
2. Implement a community-wide initiative to address the critical need for housing for individuals with behavioral health disorders.
3. Address the critical gaps in services and service capacity.
4. Ensure that behavioral health services are a central component of community efforts to coordinate and manage health care and social services.
5. Expand strategies to improve the integration of behavioral health and physical health care services. 
6. Develop a region-wide plan to improve transportation to increase individuals’ access to behavioral health services. 
7. Address the barriers created by siloed funding by developing approaches to increase flexibility through the use of regional or statewide funding strategies such as braided or blended funding pools.
8. Develop a process to regularly collect, distribute and evaluate key measures of the region’s behavioral health system performance. 

Based on these recommendations, the Metropolitan Mental Health Stakeholders group convened a small group to prioritize the recommendations and suggest strategies for funding. This group recommended that the following three priority strategies be addressed equally and immediately:

Priority #1:  Recovery practices and cultural competency are critical to the success of any “best practices” initiative. Thus, they will be meaningfully incorporated into all work that is done to enhance behavioral health services in Greater Kansas City.

Priority #2:  Establish a formal, permanent bistate housing commission for special populations. The purpose of the commission will be to work collaboratively to address the development of a continuum of housing options in Greater Kansas City for individuals with special needs.

Priority #3: Implement a multi-faceted approach to the integration of behavioral and physical health care services in Greater Kansas City. This includes the development and implementation of the following components:

• A regional, outcome-based care coordination program to help patients access physical, behavioral and social services.
• The development, implementation and evaluation of key pilot sites where behavioral and physical health care services are co-located.  
• The development of a health information exchange to share critical patient medical information between behavioral health and physical health care providers. 

For more information, contact us.