October 10, 2013 — Jeff Heatherington, the president and CEO of FamilyCare, Inc., the longest established Medicaid managed care organization in the state, offered detailed insight into his company’s integration strategy, a list of successes, and ideas on how to sidestep potential mistakes during the 2013 State of Reform Health Policy Conference in Portland on Wednesday (Oct 9).
In recent weeks, Heatherington has been on a speaking circuit, addressing organizations about the myths and realities of health care reform and integration. With major health care reform taking place at the state and federal level, there is a high interest from other parts of the country to hear about Oregon transformation.
“When it comes to integration, the paradigm shift has already happened here,” Heatherington said. “This state understands that good health begins in the community, not in the health care system.”
Heatherington, who helped create the tri-county area’s first coordinated care organization (CCO), was in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday delivering the keynote speech at the Alaska State of Reform conference. His topic was “Solutions from the Outside.” Two weeks ago, he was in Washington, D.C. addressing health care professionals attending America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Medicaid Conference in Washington, D.C.
“Oregon leads the nation on health care transformation and integration,” said Heatherington of the process that began in 2009. “We have a good story to tell and other parts of the nation are eager to hear about the Oregon experience.”
Heatherington said there is a way to improve the delivery of services and save costs through better coordination, and by giving emphasis to navigation and referrals.
“Many factors determine the health profile of an individual,” Heatherington said. “It’s a combined result of genetics, environment, economics, education, and social structure. When we use innovative systems to address all aspects of a person's life, we create healthier patients and healthier communities.”
Mary Nolan, FamilyCare’s vice president for Business and Community Development, also spoke at the State of Reform conference on Wednesday.
Nolan, a former state legislator, was on a panel with other health care industry representatives talking about the next major step of health care transformation in Oregon. Governor Kitzhaber challenged the CCO community to prepare the delivery system for service to the exchange beneficiaries and public employees.
FamilyCare, Inc. is a Medicare and Medicaid managed care organization that has been providing patient-centered health care to Oregonians for nearly 30 years. FamilyCare was the first health plan in Oregon to integrate models of physical and mental health, and recently added dental care to its integrated programs.
