For Community Partners
Our community partners are the safety net clinics who provide primary care and the volunteer physicians and physician groups who provide specialty care.
A Model that Works
KCPA screens all patient referrals to ensure that appropriate tests and paperwork are completed BEFORE the uninsured patient goes to see a specialist.
By arranging for the necessary laboratory and imaging (x-ray) services as well as qualified interpreters, we remove the barriers that prevent patients from keeping their appointments with medical specialists.
More than 96% of KCPA keep their appointments, compared to fewer than 70% in typical uninsured populations.
Primary Care Partners
Each year, approximately 1,500 patients are referred to King County Project Access for specialty care. KCPA successfully arranges specialty care for 99% of the patients referred.
Our patients are referred to us from safety net providers, such as community health centers and free clinics throughout King County, and all are uninsured or underinsured.
Nearly 80% of patients live at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
More than 33 percent of our patients speak a language other than English.
Our current primary care partners include:
Country Doctor Community Health Centers
HealthPoint Community Health Centers
International Community Health Services
Neighborcare Health Community Health Centers
Public Health—Seattle and King County
Sea Mar Community Health Centers
Specialty Care Partners
As the number of uninsured and underinsured patients continues to increase, King County Project Access must grow to meet the increased demand for our services.
- We are able to meet this demand because of our specialty care partners. Nearly 500 physicians and other health care providers currently volunteer with King County Project Access, an increase of 25% in one year.
Our current specialty care partners include:
Northwest Gastroenterology Associates
Overlake Internal Medicine Associates—Gastroenterology
Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority
Plastic Surgery Associates of Seattle
Renton Dermatology Clinic
Richmond Beach Internal Medicine
Swedish Community Specialty Clinic
Swedish Heart & Vascular Clinic
Swedish Neuroscience Institute
Valley Nephrology Health Services
Valley Surgical Associates
Referral Coordinators
Referral coordinators at safety net sites throughout King County help patients get the care they need.
Their work is important for King County Project Access and can be life-saving for many patients.
We salute the tough job they do every day and provide training and regular updates to these community liaisons to help support the work they do.
“King County Project Access is a sign of optimism that physicians and hospitals can work together to take care of the health needs of our uninsured in a way that government hasn’t been able to figure out yet.”
—Leo Greenawalt,
President and CEO,
Washington State
Hospital Association
“Project Access makes it easier to do the right thing… provide needed care to the uninsured.”
—Rayburn Lewis, MD
Executive Director and Medical Director, Swedish Medical Center/Ballard Campus