MIAMI COUNTY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 8 a.m. on Monday in Miami County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Ford SUV driven by Deborah J. Kerfes, 56, Paola, was northbound on U.S 69 just south of 223rd.

The vehicle was being driven erratically, traveled into the ditch and rolled.

Kerfes was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

by ANDY MARSO

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Susan Mosier said last week that she’s open to ideas, including presumed Medicaid eligibility for nursing home residents, as the agency struggles with an application processing backlog.

When asked about a temporary lifeline for nursing homes drowning in uncompensated care while the department works through a computer system transition, Mosier said it was a “good concept” and that she liked the idea. She said she would discuss it with Mike Randol, director of KDHE’s Division of Health Care Finance.

“We need to have mitigating actions,” Mosier said. “We are mitigating, but other ideas are welcome so that we can take care of people, because that’s the ultimate goal.” ‘

Hobbled by a broken system’ 

Mosier’s words came as a relief to nursing home representatives frustrated by months of agency inaction as their members’ bills pile up.

“We’re very supportive of that idea,” said Cindy Luxem, president and chief executive of the Kansas Health Care Association, which represents for-profit nursing homes.

“Something just needs to happen. The folks in our homes are getting the care, but it’s truly not fair. These folks have such a low margin anyway, and we’re expecting these caregivers to do so much with so little.

Basically people are looking the other way to say, ‘We’ll get you paid eventually.’” Deb Zehr, president and chief executive of LeadingAge Kansas, which represents nonprofit nursing homes, said her organization’s facilities are for frail seniors who need around-the-clock care.

Delaying admittance while they wait months for Medicaid applications to be processed results in suffering and even the possibility of death, she said.

“The state needs to act immediately, but they are hobbled by a broken system and a backlog of 10,000 cases,” Zehr said. “The only way to help seniors needing nursing care now is to grant presumptive Medicaid eligibility for those with pending cases, as well as to seniors applying for Medicaid before KDHE has the backlog cleared.”

Nursing homes groups trace the Medicaid problems to June when the state began to use the Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System, or KEES, to process applications and renewals. Accenture, a state contractor, created KEES.

After the system’s long-delayed rollout, state workers who use KEES were forced to learn dozens of workarounds — some of them 10 or more steps long — to make it function.

A backlog began to form, and after KDHE took over all eligibility processing last month it burgeoned to almost 10,000 applications.

Medicaid in Kansas is a privatized program known as KanCare, and it serves mainly elderly and disabled Kansans and pregnant women and children. By last month, organizations that represent those groups reported that applications that used to take seven to 10 days to process were taking three months or longer.

And some said Kansans who had been on Medicaid for years were being dropped with little or no warning because their renewals hadn’t been processed. Nursing homes were hit particularly hard because many of their residents rely on Medicaid payments after they exhaust other funds.

Luxem said some of the nursing home companies she represents have forwarded to her “tremendous accounts receivable” that she has shared with KDHE this week.

“The folks at KDHE right now are really trying to be helpful, and actually we understand that maybe a few of the things are starting to get un-logjammed,” Luxem said. “But it sure is a drag (that) we need to raise this kind of fuss just to get the system to work.”

Reaching out to legislators 

After KDHE took over all Medicaid processing, Kansans who were having problems were told to call a single 800 number for the KanCare Clearinghouse, a KDHE outpost run by state contractor Maximus.

But individual Kansans reported hours-long wait times on hold and unreturned messages — the same problems a 2008 audit revealed about Maximus when it ran the children’s health care program help line for the state.

Ray Flickner, who received about two weeks’ notice that his 84-year-old mother’s Medicaid was about to expire, said he received no help from the KanCare Clearinghouse until he contacted his state legislator, Rep. Mark Hutton, a Wichita Republican. His mother’s Medicaid coverage since has been restored. “I’m glad I got it taken care of, but I worry about the other folks who don’t know that’s an option,” Flickner said.

Haylie Colby, a social worker at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, said she was successful in getting 64-year-old leukemia survivor Ellen Brannan’s coverage restored only after enlisting the help of Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican.

But Colby is working with another patient from Wichita who needs a bone marrow transplant due to multiple myeloma and has been waiting on Medicaid coverage since August.

“They’re ready to proceed, but she doesn’t have insurance so they can’t, really,” Colby said. “Medically, she’s ready to go.” Colby welcomed news of a possible amnesty or presumed eligibility for nursing home residents.

“That’s excellent, that’s huge,” Colby said. “That’s the most vulnerable of all of us.”

System still an issue 

Mosier said KDHE is bringing on more staff and redoubling its training to try to speed the Medicaid processing. Once KDHE gets caught up, she said the application process should improve.

“We’ve got an effort that we started in October in terms of eliminating the backlog,” Mosier said.

“Eliminating the backlog is what will solve many, if not all, of these issues.” The agency’s information technology experts and Accenture are working to make KEES more user-friendly. However, internal documents show that problems with the system continue.

A document dated Jan. 25 provided to KHI News Service by an employee who works with the system and requested anonymity listed 67 “Defect Resolutions” stretched over five pages. Another release of fixes is scheduled for mid-February.

In an email sent Thursday to dozens of KDHE and Accenture employees, including Mosier, Jenifer Telshaw, KDHE’s head of KEES production, outlined a problem that was keeping employees from accessing KEES and the document scanning software that feeds information into the system.

“We have reports that staff cannot access KEES or ImageNow,” Telshaw wrote.

“It has been verified that KEES is available but it appears that there (is) a connection issue. We are currently investigating the issue and will let you know when the issue has been resolved.”

The processing delays, while causing problems for Medicaid-eligible Kansans and their providers, have been a small revenue boon for the state at a time when budgets are tight.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s supplemental budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 assumes $3 million in Medicaid savings “as enrollment eligibility continues to lag since implementing KEES.” Zehr said her organization had taken note of that budget provision and its implication that the issues with Medicaid processing could drag into 2017.

“If the administration truly believes that these delays are going to last up to another 17 months, they will be saving money on the backs of humans in crisis,” Zehr said.

Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chairman of the Kansas House Education Committee says it’s unlikely that any action will be taken on a bill that would force the consolidation of more than half of the state’s school districts.

Republican state Rep. Ron Highland, who chairs the committee, says that after a heated hearing on the bill Wednesday, it’s unlikely to go anywhere soon.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that even if the consolidation bill passes, its supporters prefer to call it a “realignment” bill because it only calls for consolidating administration, not schools.

Baldwin City is among the school districts that would be forced to merge or consolidate with another district in Douglas County if the bill were to pass. The district’s superintendent, Paul Dorathy, says he’s had a number of parents contact him with concerns about potential consolidation.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas secretary of state’s office says the number of businesses in the state grew by 5 percent last year.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office reported Monday that Kansas had about 179,000 businesses at the end of 2015. That’s about 8,600 more than at the end of 2014.

Kobach’s office noted that a record of nearly 17,300 businesses formed in Kansas last year.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has pointed to annual records for new business formations each year since 2011 as a sign that his tax-cutting policies are boosting the economy.

But the secretary of state’s report also showed that a growing number of businesses also dissolved, withdrew or forfeited their right to remain active in Kansas. More than 15,600 did so last year, up slightly from 2014.

By Johanna Hecht and Kirsten Peterson
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – A House committee has approved a bill that would allow possession of air guns on school property.

However, not everyone is happy. Some lawmakers believe the bill gives the state too much control of school activities—control they say belongs in the hands of the school boards.

“The school district should absolutely have control over what activities occur on their property. It’s their jurisdiction, not my jurisdiction,” said Rep. Stephanie Clayton, R- Overland Park.
Clayton spoke  before the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs.

Rep. Nancy Lusk, D-Overland Park, agreed. Lusk asked the committee to strike provisions of the bill that says schools would not be required to obtain liability insurance. The committee agreed with Lusk and approved an amendment that would let schools decide whether or not they want liability insurance.

Another concern raised in the committee meeting was student safety.

Clayton described an incident at Hocker Grove Middle School in Shawnee, across the street from where she lives.

Suspects were accused of pointing an air gun at a middle school student. Even though the charges were dropped, parents and the local community are upset about the air gun bill, Clayton said.

Edited by Madeline Mikinski

 

SALINA -Police have identified the victim of an overnight rollover accident in Salina.

Sgt. Mike Miller said 24-year-old Carlos Manuel Luna-Diaz of Salina, died early Monday morning after his 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo rolled over during an accident at a north Salina intersection.

Luna-Diaz was driving northeast on Broadway Boulevard, when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a utility pole at the intersection of Broadway, 9th Street and Pacific Avenue. The vehicle rolled onto its side and sheared the utility pole at the ground, causing power lines to come down.

Luna-Diaz was partially ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Miller said speed was a factor in the crash, which occurred at about 12:40 a.m. Police closed the area around the accident for several hours and reopened the intersection shortly after 6 a.m. Electricity was knocked out in the area and fully restored by 5 a.m.

An investigation into the accident continues.

SALINA – A man died in an accident just before 1 a.m. on Monday in Saline County.

The driver was northbound on Broadway Boulevard at a high-rate of speed, lost control and struck a utility pole at Pacific Avenue, according to police.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash also knocked power lines down and caused a electrical outage in the area. It was restored overnight and the intersection was reopened to traffic just before 6a.m.

RICE COUNTY – Fire crews were busy on Sunday working a 3-mile wide grass fire in Rice County, according to a media release from the Hutchinson Fire Department. Smoke form the fire was reportedly seen over a wide area including in the city of Hutchinson.

The blaze was reported just before 2:30 p.m. near Avenue V and 26th and spread rapidly due to 25 mile-per-hour winds.

Upon arrival fire crews worked to stop the fire from crossing Avenue V. These efforts were unsuccessful, once across Avenue V crews were faced with 20-30 foot flame lengths moving rapidly.

The soft sand and wet base made it difficult for trucks to move in the fields. All efforts were moved to protect structures and make a stand at the roadways..

Hutchinson fire units along with units from Reno County Fire District 3, Inman, Windom, and Conway moved south of Avenue V on 29th and made a stop on the south and east progression of the fire, holding it short of a residence.

A few units remained on scene overnight to assist with overhaul procedures. No injuries reported. The cause is still under investigation.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman accused of abandoning her 5-year-old grandson while fleeing a Kohl’s store after a shoplifting incident has pleaded guilty in the case.

The 41-year-old grandmother from Wichita pleaded guilty Friday to one count of contributing to the misconduct of a child or deprivation by encouraging the child to become or remain a child in need of care, and one count of theft after prior convictions. She is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Prosecutors say she tried to steal clothing from the store before fleeing, leaving the clothes and her grandson behind in June. She eluded police for nearly three months.

The Wichita Eagle  reports the boy had been placed in foster care after the incident, and it is unclear if that is where he remains.

SALINE COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 12:30 a.m. on Monday in Saline County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Mini Cooper driven by Robert E. Brown, 54, Wichita was northbound on Interstate 135 one mile north of the McPherson-Saline county line.

The driver control of the vehicle. It slid into east ditch and rolled.
Brown was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.

It is unknown if he was wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man convicted of running over and killing a Wichita man trying to retrieve a stolen truck has been sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Edward Ladish was sentenced Friday in the death of 25-year-old Shawn Palmer. Ladish was found guilty last year of second-degree murder, aggravated battery and theft.

Prosecutors say Palmer and his brother saw Ladish driving the truck on July 5, 2014, at a south Wichita convenience store. Police say when Ladish tried to drive away, the brothers held onto the truck. Palmer eventually fell off and was run over. He later died of his injuries. His brother was treated for his injuries.

GEARY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Geary County report that Allison Y. Blanco, 16, has been located.

Police in Junction City issued a notice last week asking for the public’s help in locating her.

No additional details were  reported.

—————–

 

GEARY COUNTY -The Junction City Police Department is requesting help from the public in locating a runaway juvenile that’s been missing since January 31 at approximately 10 p.m.

Allison Y. Blanco, 16, is a Hispanic female.

If you have seen her or know where she may be located contact the JCPD at 785-762-5912 or the Junction City / Geary County Crime Stoppers TIPS line at 785-762-TIPS (8477).

RILEY COUNTY- Two people were injured in an accident just after 6p.m. on Sunday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Dodge Dakota driven by Robert Haas, 49, Manhattan, was west bound on U.S. 24 six miles west of Manhattan.

The Dakota went left of center and collided head-on with an eastbound Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Amanda Shepard, 34, Manhattan.

Haas was transported to Stormont Vail in Topeka.
Shepard was transported to KU Medical Center.

Haas was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the KHP.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Members of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet criticized the leader of their group for excluding them from recent funding recommendations for early childhood programs.

The recommendations come in a document that says they are “from the Kansas Children’s Cabinet.” But group members said they didn’t vote on them.

Amanda Adkins, the group’s chairwoman, said Friday she needed to move quickly in order to get the recommendations to lawmakers during the budget process.

Cabinet members didn’t express opposition to the recommendations themselves, and in some cases praised them.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports however, that Children’s Cabinet member Rep. Valdenia Winn called for more conversation and discussion with the group before a recommendation takes place.

The children’s cabinet agreed to schedule an additional meeting before its next scheduled meeting on April 22.