BOB PAGE. President and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System (Kansas City)
On the top challenge
"For Kansans today, access to the right care and in the right place is one of the most pressing healthcare needs."
On the hospital's response
"As our state's only academic medical center, The University of Kansas Health System is committed to providing patients in our region with the most advanced, highest quality care available today. Our challenge is to make the most advanced care easier to access, so patients can stay close to home. Over the past few years, we have made remarkable progress in expanding the reach of academic medicine, thanks to innovative ideas, state-of-the-art technology and new partnerships.
The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative is a groundbreaking approach to improving the health of people living in rural and urban communities through new, evidence-based models of care, improving outcomes and ultimately, decreasing the cost of care.
The collaborative began in 2014 with 13 Kansas healthcare organizations and a focus on heart and stroke care. Today, the network includes more than 50 hospitals, clinics and EMS teams in 54 counties, representing more than half the state. We have also expanded our focus to include improving care for sepsis, heart failure, trauma and palliative needs. Kansans are benefiting from better preventive care and fewer hospital readmissions.
Telemedicine is a critical component of the Care Collaborative. Our goal is to use technology to enhance, not replace, personal care. While our specialty consults help rural providers access care, they also create an opportunity for specialists to share information to help local providers better manage similar patients. We are also using telemonitoring to connect rural patients with chronic conditions to health coaches in Kansas City.
We are expanding access to specialty care by growing our health system. Soon after Hays (Kan.) Medical Center joined our organization in early 2017, care teams from Kansas City and Hays opened a new multispecialty clinic to serve western Kansas. The clinic also expands access to specialists for the critical access hospitals HaysMed supports.
More recently, The University of Kansas Health System and Ardent Health Services partnered to purchase St. Francis Health in Topeka. The hospital, which was on the brink of closure, is now The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus. We are preparing to serve the community for decades to come.
By finding new and different ways to expand specialty care access, we are helping Kansans stay in their communities for the most advanced care while reducing costs. Most important of all, we are improving health outcomes for thousands of patients across our state and region."