New initiative supported by $12 million grant aims to boost access to specialty care in rural Kansas

The University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Health System today announced a new initiative to create and improve rural health care in Kansas. Supported in part by a $12 million grant from the Patterson Family Foundation, the goal of this initiative is to increase access to specialty care in rural communities across Kansas. 

“Our charge from the Patterson Family Foundation is clear: This partnership must increase specialty care access for rural provider organizations to meet the needs of their patients and their families,” said Simon Craddock Lee, Ph.D., MPH, chair of the Department of Population Health at KU School of Medicine and associate director for cancer workforce initiatives at KU Cancer Center.

“Rural communities are the heart of Kansas, and they deserve access to the right care at the right time,” said Jessica Hunt, vice president of strategy and programs at the Patterson Family Foundation. “Building on the Care Collaborative’s long-standing investment in rural health, this effort expands telehealth connections and specialty care access — working alongside rural providers who are vital to helping their communities thrive. We’re proud to support this collaboration and the shared commitment to strengthening health care across rural Kansas.”

This new initiative brings together research, rural outreach and clinical care from both organizations to improve, measure and increase health care in rural Kansas.

“The University of Kansas Medical Center is pleased to be a part of this collaborative project, which demonstrates the real strength of academic medicine — our researchers and care providers working side by side to find solutions to health-related issues,” said Steve Stites, M.D., executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center. “This project is just one of the many ways the University of Kansas is making a difference to improve the health of Kansans, especially for those in rural areas.”

The initiative will include:

• Researchers from the Kansas Center for Rural Health at KU Medical Center will conduct a statewide assessment of specialty and sub-specialty care, as well as therapies and testing needed to support this care.
• Based on the assessment, teams from The University of Kansas Health System’s Care Collaborative and defined medical specialty areas will work with Care Collaborative members, who are rural health care providers, to coordinate diagnostic and therapeutic services close to patients’ homes.
• Specialists will partner virtually with rural primary care providers and patients to provide expertise in diagnosis and treatment planning, assuring patients have access to the latest training and evidence-based practices, as well as more rapid access to medical advances.
• Researchers in population health will work throughout the process to better understand the most impactful tools and techniques to create better health outcomes, which can then be replicated in other areas.

The Care Collaborative, an initiative of The University of Kansas Health System, was formed in 2014. It supports quality performance improvement initiatives for 91 member organizations across 79 Kansas counties. This four-year grant builds on the Care Collaborative’s efforts to help enhance high-quality clinical care in rural areas and improve the health of people living in rural Kansas communities.

“The University of Kansas Hospital was created to support the health of all Kansans. More than 100 years later, we remain committed to the health and vitality of Kansans and their communities,” said Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Health System. “This new initiative will help change lives and communities by offering access to specialist care closer to home and supporting local economies through strengthened health care delivery.”

An additional goal of the project is to support workforce development, therapy and testing in local communities.