LJWorld.com

Topeka — The Kansas Board of Regents agreed Thursday that increasing funding to the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education is a critical issue for the state.

To emphasize that point, the regents created a task force to gather more information on the center's needs and recommend a course of action.

Leaders of Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita, Via Christi Regional Medical Center and Wesley Medical Center appeared at the regents meeting on Thursday to explain why the group needed $22 million over the next two years to stay viable - and what the money would go toward.

"WCGME does a lot of the uninsured and Medicaid care for patients in Wichita," KUMC Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Atkinson said. "Another challenge is the accreditation standards have been changing and evolving. The students need to be given the opportunity to do more scholarly work and the faculty need to show they're doing more scholarly work."

The Wichita center is responsible for training the majority of family medicine doctors who practice in rural Kansas. And across the board, Wichita produces more primary care physicians than the much larger Kansas City campus, which trains doctors in specialized practices.

The majority of funding for the KU residents in Wichita comes from the two hospitals. But changing rates of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and rising costs for indigent care, have left WCGME with a budget deficit the hospitals don't think they should have to cover.

KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway said the program has been a marvelous project over the years, but changing realities have led to a situation where the program cannot continue to operate as it has.

"This program has been a great success, but what has happened, as (Regents CEO Reggie Robinson) said, is circumstances change," he said. "And in health care, circumstances change faster than any other."

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius recommended $1 million this year and next to start to address these issues. The state House agreed, but the Senate deferred it to later in the session when it takes up other budget issues.

Regent Jill Docking told Atkinson that she was concerned the School of Medicine-Wichita was not given the attention it deserved in Kansas.

"I hope we can all work together better in the future," Docking said. "Would it be appropriate for some things to come out of your budget just as we're asking the state for money?"