January 9, 2012 -- The Portland Interhospital Physicians Association (Portland IPA), Oregon’s largest physician group comprising more than 2,500 primary care and specialty physicians, this week launched an easy-to-access system to assist with g
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The Portland Interhospital Physicians Association launches ‘Portland IPA Provider Connect’ as a pilot project to connect two large primary care clinics and their referral network of specialists; new system viewed as a key model for integration as prescribed in CCO rules
Jan 9 2012
Perhaps the biggest roadblock is the predominant fee-for-service system, which pays providers to deliver more services
This article was reprinted from www.kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Jan 9 2012
Healthcare costs are the primary driver of the federal budget deficit. Congressional Budget Office projections for 2020 show that healthcare spending will consume more than 27 percent of federal budget.
OPINION: January 9, 2012 -- This election ought to be about one issue, a referendum on health care reform.
Jan 9 2012
Cavity Free Coos Bay is assessing all school children in the district for dental health
January 6, 2012 – A coalition led by Dr. Dane Smith in Coos Bay County is determined to eliminate dental disease among its children.
“I’ve heard it said that holes in people’s teeth reflect holes in their heart, and I think there’s truth to that,” said Smith, an oral surgeon in Brookings. “People who have high self-esteem and high expectations for their lives have fewer cavities.” That’s why it takes a whole community to address the issue.
Jan 6 2012
Mike Kreidler has launched a market conduct examination of Regence BlueShield and Asuris Northwest, following an investigation earlier this year
December 15, 2011 -- Mark Ganz, CEO and president of Cambia Health Solutions (formerly known as The Regence Group), isn’t out of the woods yet.
Dec 15 2011
With time running out to finalize that plan, the board wrestled with the requirements when it met on Tuesday
December 15, 2011— As the Oregon Health Policy Board develops the requirements that coordinated care organizations (CCOs) must meet to deliver care to more than 600,000 Oregonians, they’re faced with finding the right balance between prescriptiveness and flexibility.
Those requirements will become part of the business plan legislators will consider when they meet in February.
Dec 14 2011
Dr. Kathleen Brown says she’s received pushback from the two insurers for not using CPT billing codes
December 15, 2011 – In July, Dr. Kathleen Brown decided to leave the Coos Bay clinic where she’d been practicing since 1997 and open her own dermatology practice. It’s not uncommon for doctors to strike out on their own, but Brown’s decision had a twist: she decided to eschew the use of CPT codes, a set of medical billing codes required by the American Medical Association for reimbursement by insurers.
Dec 14 2011
Sen. Alan Bates and Rep. Tim Freeman want the Legislature to carefully monitor the progress of transforming the healthcare delivery system
December 15, 2011—Getting legislative approval for a business plan that sets the course for transforming the Oregon Health Plan may not come down to simply a yes or no vote, according to Sen. Alan Bates (D-Ashland) and Rep. Tim Freeman (R-Roseburg), who appeared before the Oregon Health Policy Board on Tuesday.
Dec 14 2011
December 14, 2011 -- Mike McCormick will become deputy director of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) programs in January. That agency is still without a permanent director, following the resignation of James Toews earlier this year.
Dec 14 2011