One of Wichita’s largest healthcare systems dealt a blow to Sedgwick County’s struggling ambulance service Thursday, announcing plans to break with the county and hire a private ambulance company starting next month. Wesley Healthcare is set to begin contracting with American Medical Response (AMR) on March 1 for patient transfers between Wesley-owned medical facilities. Those transfers have been a financially important part of the county’s EMS budget for decades and were seen as a key piece to rebuilding a department that has faced high turnover and slow response times. Wesley accounts for 77% of interfacility hospital transfers (4,873 in 2020) done by EMS and 7.8% of the county’s EMS income.
Source: Wichita Eagle
