By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service

TOPEKA — State officials last week formally launched a “health home” initiative they hope will help Medicaid enrollees with mentally illnesses live healthier lives and lower the state’s health care costs.

“We have several goals,” said Becky Ross, director of Medicaid initiatives at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “But the main goal, first and foremost, is to keep people out of the emergency room, reduce inpatient stays as much as possible and help people learn more about how to manage their chronic conditions, whatever those conditions might be.”

The initiative had been slated for a Jan. 1, 2014, rollout but was pushed back to Aug. 1 after Ross and other health care officials said they needed more time to ensure the program’s readiness.

A similar initiative for Medicaid enrollees with chronic illnesses – diabetes and asthma, primarily – had been set to begin July 1, 2014, but was abruptly shelved after KDHE officials became concerned that not enough health care providers had agreed to participate.
KDHE officials now say the health home initiative for the chronically ill is being re-evaluated and is not expected to be up and running until sometime after Jan. 1, 2015.

But the health home initiative for the seriously mentally ill is moving forward. KanCare contractors began receiving lists of would-be enrollees last month; actual service delivery began Aug. 1.

“Folks should already be getting phone calls from their home health partners, wanting to set up appointments to begin the process for setting up their health action plans,” Ross said.

Most enrollees, she said, have received inpatient psychiatric care in the past.

Medicaid claims data, Ross said, show that approximately 36,000 enrollees are eligible for assignment to a health home.

The enrollment process, she said, is “passive,” meaning that beneficiaries are assigned to a provider but are free to “opt out” at any time. Ross said that as of last week about 2,200 would-be enrollees had decided to opt out.

Each of the state’s 26 community mental health centers have agreed to become health homes. Several county health departments and many of the larger safety net clinics are participating as well.

As health homes, the providers assume responsibility for making sure their patients receive six services:

• Comprehensive care management.

• Individual and family supports.

• Referral to social and community services.

• Physical and mental health care coordination.

• Comprehensive transitional care from institutional to community-based settings.

• Health promotion.

Marilyn Cook, who runs COMCARE in Wichita, one of the largest community health centers in the state, said she welcomes the onset of health homes.

“There’s some confusion about what a health home is,” she said. “People tend to think of it as a service, but it’s really not; more than anything else, it’s an attitude. The services have always been there in one form or another.

“What a health home does is put them all together,” she said. “It’s an approach; it’s an attitude.”

ANTHONY, Kan -Three people from Oklahoma were injured in a Wednesday crash in Harper County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Ford F150 driven by Travis Steven Grimm, 23, Pond Creek, OK. was eastbound on Kansas 44 twelve miles east of Anthony when it drove off of the roadway. The driver overcorrected and the truck overturned.

Grimm was transported to Anthony Medical Center. Passengers in the truck James H. Cunningham, 47, and Casey Scott Mangrum, 26,  Ponca City, OK. were transported to Wesley Medical Center.

The KHP reported they were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

By KHI NEWS SERVICE
KHI News Service

WICHITA — Mentally ill Kansas adults smoke at double the rate of the general population and have more trouble quitting, according to a report released today by the Kansas Health Foundation
“Studies show that most smokers want to quit. Smokers with mental illness make more quit attempts and have lower success in quitting compared to people without mental illness,” said Steve Coen, the health foundation’s chief executive officer.

According to the report, nearly half of Kansas adults who experienced serious mental illness in the past 30 days are smokers.

The foundation funded the report, which was done by RTI International.

Among other findings in the report:

In 2012, 10.2 percent of Kansas adults reported experiencing mental illness and 3.4 percent reported serious mental illness.
Mental illness is significantly associated with poor physical health, including health problems exacerbated by smoking.
Youth who reported mental illness were more than twice as likely to be smokers as youth without mental illness.
Foundation officials said they were launching a new effort through the foundation’s fellows leadership program to address tobacco use among the mentally ill.

“Through the years we’ve seen significant decreases in the percentage of Americans who smoke, but we’ve done very little to make strides in decreasing those rates among people with mental illness,” said Jeff Willett, vice president for programs at the foundation. “We see this collaborative effort being a call to action to both the mental health and tobacco control communities.”

The health foundation is the primary funder of the Kansas Health Institute, which is the parent organization of KHI News Service.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has criticized Gov. Sam Brownback for signing a judicial budget that ties funding to policy changes.

The bill allocates $2 million more from the state general fund to the judicial branch. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss has said that more than $8 million would be needed.

The high court said in a statement Friday that measure “weakens the centralized authority of the Kansas unified court system in exchange for money to pay our employees and keep courts open. And the money it provides still may fall short of even doing that.”

Under the new law, the chief judges of individual district courts also will have the authority to decide how to spend their budgets.

The Wichita Eagle reports Brownback’s office didn’t comment on the statement.

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 14-year discussion about opening a water park in Dodge City took another step toward reality, when city and Ford County commissions approved making the project eligible for funding from a special sales tax.

The joint commissions also voted Monday night to make the first $50,000 available for initial designs of a proposed $10 million water park.

The Dodge City Daily Globe reports the project is still a long way off. Monday’s vote sends the project back to a sales tax project committee to work with city staff and a consultant on details for the park.

Dodge City Manager Cherise Tieben says if all goes as planned, the park could open in May 2016.

READING, Kan. (AP) — A pair of early-morning hay barn fires in east-central Kansas have been declared arson, and authorities are asking the state fire marshal’s office to help investigate.

Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope told KVOE-AM on Thursday that officials ruled out lightning or other natural causes after checking with the National Weather Service.

The two fires were reported within an hour of each other starting at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday near the Lyon county town of Reading (REHD’-ing). Damage to one of the hay barns is estimated at $100,000. The loss to the other is estimated at $15,000.

A $1,000 reward for information has been posted by Lyon County Crime Stoppers.

CLAY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — The manager of a sports bar in one of a dozen dry Kansas counties has begun a campaign to allow sales of liquor by the drink.

The Clay Center Dispatch reports Clay County now allows wine and mixed drinks to be served only in private clubs.

Teresa Garcia, manager of Coach’s Sports Grill & Pub in Clay Center, would like to change that. Garcia says adding other beverages besides beer would help her establishment.

Kansas has allowed liquor by the drink since 1986 in counties where voters approve.

At least 290 registered voters must sign Garcia’s petition for the question to have a chance of going on a ballot. County Commissioner Jerry Mayo said the commission would support and put such a measure on the ballot assuming it receives a valid petition.

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence Police Department says 23 complaints of misconduct were filed against its employees last year and 10 people received some kind of disciplinary action as a result.

The Lawrence Journal-World  reports a dozen of the complaints came from within the department itself, eight of which resulted in sanctions.

The police department has issued annual reports since 2010 giving an account of how many complaints were received and how many were found to have a factual basis. The reports also provide limited information about the complaints.

The identities of employees who were investigated and action taken are not released because they are considered confidential personnel matters.

Four complaints leading to discipline were for actions that happened while the employee was off duty.