Lawrence Journal-World 06-23-11

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THURSDAY • JUNE 23 • 2011

‘Putting the patient back at the center of medicine’

Will state be 1st without abortion providers? ——

Inspection process seen by some as politically motivated By John Hanna Associated Press Writer

Kevin Anderson/Journal-World Photo

NEAL HAZE, LEFT, TOPEKA, VISITS with Dr. Greg Schnose Tuesday at the Internal Medicine Group office, 4525 W. Sixth St. Eight physicianled practices were selected as part of the Kansas Patient Centered Medical Home Initiative pilot project, including Lawrence’s Internal Medicine Group. The project starts July 1.

Lawrence doctors selected for pilot project to help reform health care By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com

A Lawrence practice is ready to get back to old-school medicine, when doctors really got to know their patients. They took time to ask about exercise, diet, vaccinations and annual health screenings, and they were paid for it. “I think in the last couple of decades or more as a society, we’ve gotten away from that,” said Dr. Greg Schnose, of Internal Medicine Group. “Overall care in this country has been driven toward acute episodes. You get sick. You go see the doctor.”

Too often doctors look at diabetes and heart disease when a complication arises instead of trying to prevent that complication years before when the disease is first developing, Schnose said. Another problem is patients are sent to multiple specialists without direction or guidance on how to navigate the health care system. That’s about to change where Schnose works, or at least he hopes so.

Internal Medicine Group, 4525 W. Sixth St., is one of eight practices in Kansas selected to participate in a Patient Centered Medical Home Initiative pilot project. The others are located in Winfield, St. Francis, Ellsworth, Pittsburg, Sabetha, Wichita and Plainville. The two-year project begins July 1. It is part of a larger Patient Centered Medical Home initiative that began in January under the leadership of a handful of state health organizations including the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians. Through the project, Inter-

nal Medicine Group will receive hands-on training and resources from a Leawoodbased company called TransferMED. Lisa Roberts, of Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, said TransferMED’s specialty is to help the practices look at what’s going on with their efficiencies, their processes and how employees work together and with other medical groups. The academy received more than $500,000 to hire TransferMED to help the eight practices. Roberts said practices had to

1 Landfills in Missouri taking Joplin debris.

2,102 Large appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers and stoves, that the EPA has collected.

OVERLAND PARK — Kansas launched an inspection Wednesday of a Planned Parenthood clinic in the Kansas City suburbs, ahead of decisions by the health department that could leave the state as the first in the nation without any licensed abortion providers. Three inspectors from the state Department of Health and Environment arrived in the morning for a two-day review of operations at the clinic in Overland Park, according to off icials at Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. The department has told the state’s other two abortion providers, also in the Kansas City area, that they’ll be inspected by the end Brownback of June. The department is inspecting them under a law enacted this year that mandates health and safety standards and a special licensing process for abortion providers. The agency drafted the regulations in the weeks after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, a strong abortion opponent, signed the law last month. Please see ABORTION, page 2A ● Author visits town to discuss his book about history of abortion debate in Kansas. Page 6A

Lt. Gov. says financial picture Joplin faces staggering amount of debris in rebuilding necessitates Medicaid reform The waste costs of the deadly May 22 tornado Please see PATIENT, page 2A

By Christine Metz

cmetz@ljworld.com

An Olympic-size swimming pool with debris piled 100 feet higher than the Eiffel Tower. That’s the image U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Jay Field uses when describing how much material has been collected since the tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., on May 22. That is just 20 percent of the estimated 2 million to 3 million cubic yards of debris that the agency expects to gather. “We are moving as quickly as we can,” Field said. At least half of that debris has ended up in Kansas, said Bill Bider, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s director of waste management. Three Kansas landfills are taking debris and another one is in the permitting process to do so. Please see JOPLIN, page 2A

2 to 3 million cubic yards U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimate on how much debris has been left behind from the tornado 597,000 cubic yards Debris the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had gathered as of Tuesday. It’s a total that grows daily and is probably well over 600,000 now. 2,000 to 2,500 tons Debris coming to Kansas landfills each day. 3 Landfills in southeast Kansas that are currently taking Joplin debris. Materials include wood, insulation, electrical wiring, rebar, concrete and bricks.

12,950 Electronic items received by the EPA. These would include televisions, computers, vacuum cleaners, other small appliances and game consoles. These items are being transported to MRC Recycling in Crystal City, Mo., where the plastic, steel, aluminum, lead and copper will be recycled.

Business Classified Comics Deaths

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Events listings Horoscope Movies Opinion

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$30 The economic cost of loading, transporting and disposing of one cubic yard of debris. $90 million The money that could be generated from removing all of Joplin’s debris.

Poll Puzzles Sports Television

Low: 62

Today’s forecast, page 12A

Associated Press Writer

30,530 Household hazardous wastes gathered so far. Ranging in size from small containers to large drums, the items include pesticides, paint, solvent, cleaners and flammable liquid.

INSIDE

Partly cloudy

High: 82

46,584 Items collected by the Environmental Protection Agency, which is responsible for disposing of household hazardous wastes, electronic equipment and appliances.

By John Milburn

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TOPEKA — Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said Wednesday Kansas must reform its Medicaid program in the face of rising costs and potentially staggering budget deficits. Colyer, who is also a pediatric surgeon, told more than 300 people at a forum in Topeka that the state must retain access to quality health care even as it overhauls the program. Colyer “We can’t just go cut 5 percent here or throw people off Medicaid. Those are unacceptable,” he said. More than 200,000 Kansans receive Medicaid, including the elderly, the developmentally disabled, and low-income families and children. Kansas is budgeted to spend $1.2 billion on Medicaid services in the fiscal year beginning July 1. Please see MEDICAID, page 2A

COMING FRIDAY We’ll let you know the results of the K-10 Study Group meeting.

Vol.153/No.174 24 pages

Energy smart: The Journal-World makes the most of renewable resources. www.b-e-f.org


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