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 MARCH 6, 2012 In this month's edition of Health News from OHA and OHPB: Coordinated Care Organizations signed into law With strong bipartisan support, the Oregon Legislature and Governor Kitzhaber passed SB1580, establishing Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) and paving the way toward better health for Oregonians. CCOs will bring better care at lower costs to the more than 600,000 Oregonians served by the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) with a focus on improved wellness, prevention, and integration of behavioral, physical and ultimately dental health care. The potential cost savings for Oregon are substantial — more than $3 billion over the next five years — and will ensure that our most vulnerable citizens maintain coverage, while freeing limited resources for other public priorities. A timeline outlining the next steps toward the implementation of CCOs, including Oregon's request for required federal waivers, and the public comment period for the draft Request for Applications for CCOs, the process for temporary administrative rules, and Oregon's proposal to integrate services for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid can be found at www.health.oregon.gov. Public comment period on CCO materials Interested stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.health.oregon.gov to review and provide informal comment on documents related to the implementation of Coordinated Care Organizations. These include the draft Request for Applications and a draft CCO Core Contract, draft temporary administrative rules and the draft proposal for Oregon's Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Demonstration to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The site also contains Oregon's waiver request to the federal government for additional federal flexibilities. The Request for Amended Waiver was submitted to CMS March 1. The Oregon Health Authority gave a webinar presentation on the CMS waiver and next steps for CCO implementation on March 2. The Oregon Health Authority is now accepting public comment on the following documents:
We invite you to review these documents and provide comment. Please consider providing your name and the organization you represent with any comments. Coordinated care in Oregon: Becky Wilkinson Even as stakeholders, legislators and the Oregon Health Authority are working to establish CCOs in Oregon, plans, providers and communities around the state are already finding ways to provide better care and better health at lower costs. In February, the Oregonian's Bill Graves profiled Becky Wilkinson, one of four outreach workers on CareOregon's Community Care Team. The pilot project, which was launched five months ago, focuses on the 25 percent of CareOregon adult patients who accounted for the vast majority of spending in 2011. Wilkinson's goal is to help coordinate care for patients who are frequent hospital and emergency room users so that they can improve their health and stay out of the hospital as much as possible. She works with teams of primary care doctors to come up with treatment plans that best serve patients and help eliminate the costs of repeated, unnecessary hospital visits. The Community Care Team is a great example of small-scale coordinated care already going on in Oregon. Wilkinson's story illustrates how a team-based, patient-centered approach can keep patients healthier, happier and in their homes, while eliminating the expensive costs of hospitalization and intensive care. It's time we scale up such efforts to a state wide level. Carla McKelvey, M.D., newest member of Oregon Health Policy Board We are pleased to announce that Carla McKelvey, M.D., of Coos Bay will fill the policy board seat vacated by Dr. Chuck Hofmann. Dr. McKelvey is a board certified pediatrician in private practice at North Bend Medical Center in Coos Bay. She is currently the President of the Oregon Medical Association. Previously, she served as medical director for Doctors of the Oregon Coast South, which manages the Oregon Health Plan for Coos County. Dr. McKelvey has a BA with honors in English from the University of Texas at Arlington. She completed her medical training at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1993 and her pediatric residency there in 1996. OHPB's next meeting Tuesday, March 13, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Visit the board's website for Portland location and directions. The Register-Guard The Oregonian Central Oregonian Mail Tribune Associated Press Stay involved! Connect with us: Use Facebook.com/OregonHealthAuthority and Twitter.com/OHAOregon to find out about OHA events, public input opportunities, and to learn more about state and federal health reform news. Send input and comments to OHPB at ohpb.info@state.or.us |
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The Oregon Health Authority is overseen by the nine-member citizen Oregon Health Policy Board working toward comprehensive health and health care reform in our state. |