The Coalition for a Healthy Oregon proved an effective political counterweight to insurance, pharmaceuticals and hospital interests, backing legislation to create and strengthen CCOs.
Oct 31, 2013
Advocates Cautiously Optimistic About Opportunities for Mental Health in CCOsChristen McCurdyTue, 10/29/2013 - 09:17
Pointing out that many patients with mental health diagnoses have shorter life expectancies, advocacy organizations intend to be more involved in helping patients access peer support and navigation
OPINION -- Six months into presiding over the Oregon Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (OAAOM), I see an organization in the midst of enormous transformation and professional opportunity. Today we are at a pivotal moment for balancing the needs of the future with the lessons of the past.
Until now, the state has delayed the requirement that CCOs contract non-emergency medical transportation for Oregon Health Plan members. By January, the free service will expand to all members, and the responsibility for the service will shift entirely on the backs of local health organizations.
Coordinated care organizations have until next summer to integrate dental care with their medical and behavioral health services, but disputes including a failed Senate bill that would have satisfied concerns of dental groups has slowed the process.
July 8, 2013—For a few weeks in late May and early June, it looked like Klamath County’s county-operated mental health programs would shut down or be disrupted. But frantic negotiations and the involvement of the Oregon Health Authority is preventing that from happening.
June 20, 2013 — The Senate passed a bill that will ensure a minimal level of public oversight in the operations of coordinated care organizations, but Sen. Jeff Kruse, a Roseburg Republican, objected because it allows CCOs to keep some meetings private that he said were specifically intended to be public.