Regional Roll-Out (RRO) Leader/Lead Organization Information

Name:  The Boeing Company
Link:  http://www.boeing.com/
Description:  The world's largest aerospace company, Boeing is among the largest global commercial jet makers and defense contractors.  Boeing has two major segments (Commercial Airplanes and Integrated Defense Systems) and Boeing's space operations also include communications satellites, missiles, the International Space Station, and the Space Shuttle.

Contact:  Theresa Helle, Boeing
Title:  Manager Health Care Quality and Efficiency Initiatives
Address:  7755 East Marginal Way South, P.O. Box 3707, M/C 11-56, Seattle, WA  98124
Phone:  206-655-5833
Fax:  206-544-1190
Email:  theresa.m.helle@boeing.com

Contact:  Dick Miller
Title:  Principal – Mercer Health and Benefits
Address:  600 University Street, Suite 3200, Seattle, WA 98101
Phone:  206-808-8506
Fax:  206-382-0627
Email:  dick.miller@mercer.com

Why did your organization decide to apply to become a Leapfrog Regional Roll-Out leader and what your goals are for the Region?

The Boeing Company applied to become a Leapfrog Regional Roll-Out leader in the Puget Sound and Wichita areas to promote and advance regional and national patient safety initiatives.  As a major purchaser of health care in each of these markets Boeing recognizes the importance of controlling health care costs and improving quality.   Boeing has been working in these communities through coordinated efforts of regional health care purchasers and labor organizations to support efforts to improve transparency within these markets and to promote informed health care decision making among its employees.

In your view, what kind of impact has Leapfrog had on your market thus far?

In the past few years, both major hospitals have employed intensivist coverage of their intensive care units.  Additionally, one of the two hospitals has deployed computerized physician order entry on its two campuses and expects to meet the CPOE leap by March 2006.

Regional Roll-Out Market Information

Geographic Coverage: Wichita area: Sedgwick County

Population: Wichita area: Sedgwick County population - 463,802 (2000 U.S. Census estimate)

Employer characteristics:

Number of employer lives in RRO area:  Wichita area covered lives:  21,082 (lives covered after divestitures)

Wichita’s Largest Private Employers (source: Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition [Boeing numbers have been updated by The Boeing Company]):
Cessna Aircraft Co.  8,000
Spirit AeroSystems Inc .  7,400
Raytheon Aircraft Co.  7,000
Via Christi Health System  4,795
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Wichita   3,700
Bombardier Aerospace Learjet  2,500                                                                              Koch Industries Inc.  1,800
Wesley Medical Center  1,700
York International  1,153 
The Coleman Company Inc.  1,100
Bank of America  1,007 

Distribution of Employment by Industry (source: Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition):
Industry       Employment
Services       36%
Manufacturing       21%
Government       14%
Retail trade       11%
Natural resources and construction    6%
Finance-insurance-real estate    4%
Wholesale trade      4%
Transportation-warehousing-utilities    3%
Information       2%

Hospital Characteristics:

Galichia Heart Hospital     152 beds
Kansas Heart Hospital     54 beds
Kansas Spine Hospital     22 beds
Kansas Surgery and Recovery Center   24 beds
Via Christi - St. Joseph Campus    223 beds
Via Christi - St. Francis Campus    457 beds
Wesley Medical Center     760 beds

Breakdown by hospital system (list systems and number of facilities w/in):

Wichita area:
 Via Christi Regional Medical Center
  St. Joseph Campus
  St. Francis Campus

Insurer Characteristics:

Largest plans and % of the market share for HMO/PPO products [statewide insurers listed – market share data unavailable]  (source:  Kansas Insurance Department):

 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
 Coventry Health Care of Kansas
 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
 United Healthcare Insurance Company
 Preferred Health Systems Insurance Company
 Preferred Plus of Kansas
 Premier Health Inc (dba Premier Blue)
 Blue Care (Good Health HMO, Inc)
 
State/Local government activities:

Kansas Foundation for Medical Care - www.kfmc.org
- The Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. (KFMC) is a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO).  Its major contracts are with the Department of Health and Human Services - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the State of Kansas, Kansas Health Policy Authority (Division of Health Policy and Finance, and Social and Rehabilitation Services).  It also contracts with many private companies. Throughout the various contracts, its role is to work with healthcare providers to develop ways to improve the quality of healthcare provided to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and ultimately all Kansas healthcare consumers.