The Hospitals
Because many uninsured people go to local emergency departments for medical needs that often should be treated and managed in a primary care setting, much of the escalated costs for care for the uninsured are borne by the hospitals. So, the CEOs of Via Christi Health Systems and Wesley Medical Center quickly embraced the benefits of participation in Project Access. Early in the planning process, a hospital committee defined the processes for Project Access patient admissions.
Initially, there was significant pent up demand for Project Access specialty care and patient enrollments were quite high. Enrollments leveled off over time however.
As the program’s success has grown, several local specialty hospitals signed on to accept patient referrals.