The Lund Report

Read the latest briefs on health issues, the industry, staffing, medicine and consumer concerns.

Oregon has chosen a familiar face to lead the state's Medicaid program as it heads towards the next phase, with a focus on mental health, value-based payments that reward outcomes instead of performing procedures and social determinants of health like housing.

Three months after the heart transplant unit imploded, four outside specialists are launching what's called a "peer review," a confidential process that will look at what when went wrong in the unit and the Knight Cardiovascular Institute and make recommendations on how to move forward.

Guidelines discussed Wednesday would align recommendations for opioid prescribing for back pain and five other chronic pain conditions, adding new treatments like yoga, behavioral therapy and massage.

The state has the highest mortality rate in the country but a move by the Oregon Health Authority to expand expensive treatment could wipe out the virus, if medical modeling is correct.

Brown did not ask for a tax on beer or wine in her budget but it does seek a 5 percent increase in the liquor markup -- now at 104 percent -- and a plan to double alcohol licensing fees.

The governor's budget includes $722 million in revenues -- including raising the tobacco tax and increasing taxes on hospitals and insurers -- to plug the $830 million funding gap in Medicaid and ensure health care has stable funding over the next six years.

Oregon health officials are weighing various options for enrollment and rates.

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