Title
Agreement with the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education (WCGME) and the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita.
Body
Recommended Action: Approve the contract and authorize the Chairman to sign.
Background: COMCARE has a successful partnership with the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education (WCGME) and the University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita (KU) which allows third year psychiatry residents to complete a rotation at COMCARE. The residents are KU students and employed by WCGME; COMCARE reimburses WCGME monthly for the actual cost for each resident (approximately 1.3 FTE positions) for a total amount not to exceed $65,000.00.
The psychiatry resident program is beneficial for both residents and COMCARE. COMCARE receives high quality services at a relatively low cost and the residents receive experience at a community mental health center. Having residents also provides COMCARE with the opportunity to interact with these physicians, and many of our psychiatrists have come from this program.
Alternatives: Quality medical services are expensive but very necessary to adequately address mental health issues. This agreement with WCGME provides a relatively low cost option to serve COMCARE consumers with high quality medical services via the residents. Without this agreement COMCARE consumers would have less timely access to medical services and/or COMCARE would have to find another means of providing medical services, either via a contract or the addition of another doctor to the staffing table, both of which would be more expensive.
Financial Considerations:
Cost: $65,000.00
Funding: 31113-252
Term: 07/01/18 to 06/30/19
Budget Authority Adjustment: No additional budget authority is being requested. There is sufficient budget authority in the 2018 budget.
Legal Considerations: The authority for this action is K.S.A. 19-101 and a simple majority vote is required.
Policy Considerations: All Sedgwick County policies have been followed in the development of this agreement.