April 4, 2011

As the Oregon Legislature works to address Oregon's unsustainable health care costs, one thing is clear: the current budget shortfall has been a wake-up call that could well lead to smart, long-term changes that will reduce waste and inefficiency, cuts costs and improve care. There is wide recognition that this is an opportunity reduce unnecessary health care costs that take dollars away from education and other important services.

In this month's e-bulletin, we have stories that illustrate the opportunities and challenges before us, and updates on the status of key legislation.

Transformation Team Vision provides an opportunity for Oregon
The Health System Transformation Team, a group of 45 people from all aspects of health and health care and bi-partisan lawmakers, was charged with developing a plan to improve the health care delivery system for Oregon Health Plan and Medicaid clients. The plan focuses on coordinating mental, physical, behavioral, and oral health to free up dollars trapped in an inefficient system, increase focus on prevention, and improve care. The plan has been sent to lawmakers and will be taken up by a joint committee of the Legislature.
Read more here: Transformation Team Vision provides an opportunity for Oregon

Associated Press: Panel proposes overhaul to Ore. health care system
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- A panel of health experts is recommending an overhaul of the Oregon Health Plan aimed at rewarding doctors for keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital.

Mary Lindsey: Coordinated care gave her the skills to succeed
Mary Lindsey remembers the date like a birthday: Nov. 11, 2008. In fact, it is a sort of birthday -- the day Lindsey checked herself into Portland's Hooper Detox Center was the day that changed her life.

Senate Bill 94 - Administrative simplification: SB 94 passed out of the Senate health care committee and will head to the Senate floor. This bill, which was part of the Oregon Health Policy Board's Action Plan for Health, will create uniform standards for administrative and financial transactions for providers and health plans. The standards will free providers to spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork, and is estimated to save nearly $100 million a year in administrative costs.

Streamlining administrative processes would require less time with paper and allow more time with patients
The Women's Clinic, the oldest medical practice in Oregon specializing in the health and care of women, has nine obstetrician-gynecologists. But given the rampant complexity of medical insurance these days, the clinic also employs four people whose job is to bill patients and the myriad health plans that cover them. A finance manager oversees the work of those four "billers." Another staff member's main responsibility is to verify the insurance benefits for surgeries and deliveries.

Senate Bill 95A - medical liability: SB 95A passed the Senate 29 - 0 and will move to the House for consideration. This bill was part of the Oregon Health Policy Board's Action Plan for Health. It provides that insurers cannot refuse to defend physicians being sued for malpractice because the provider disclosed an error to the patient or the patient's family. This bill encourages disclosure of medical errors and improved patient safety.
Senate Bill 879 - workforce passport: SB 879 passed out of the Senate health care committee and will head to the Senate floor. SB 879 will streamline the administrative processes that health profession students must go through to do clinical rotations, a critical aspect of health professional training. This policy was included in the Oregon Health Policy Board's Action Plan for Health.

The next Oregon Health Policy meeting takes place April 12, 2011.

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Send input and comments to OHPB at ohpb.info@state.or.us
View calendar of health reform meetings

The Oregon Health Authority is the organization at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality, and increasing access to health care in order to improve the lifelong health in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority is overseen by the nine-member citizen Oregon Health Policy Board working towards comprehensive health and health care reform in our state.