February 22, 2013 – Deborah Friedman has been appointed Behavioral Health Director for Health Share of Oregon, Oregon’s largest coordinated care organization (CCO). Friedman, previously with Clackamas County’s Behavioral Health Division since 2005, will lead Health Share’s efforts to integrate mental health, addictions and physical health services to ensure they meet the behavioral health needs of the Oregon Health Plan members which Health Share serves.
“In addition to her nearly 17 years’ experience working with Medicaid managed care, Deborah brings a proven track record of working collaboratively and innovatively with mental health, addictions and physical health provider organizations, as well as with a variety of community partners,” noted Janet L. Meyer, CEO of Health Share. “Her commitment to service leadership and community engagement will be a tremendous asset to Health Share’s efforts to help the most vulnerable among our members.”
As the Behavioral Health Director, Friedman will be responsible for those portions of Health Share’s Transformation Plan which focus on administrative simplification, risk transformation and delivery system change related to mental health and substance use. She’ll also assist medical and behavioral providers in creating systems and protocols that will integrate physical health care with behavioral health care, including the development of IT systems to optimize information sharing between providers.
In her most recent position at Clackamas County, Friedman served as Acting Director of the Behavioral Health Division, overseeing a $20 million annual budget and a staff of 75. During her tenure with the county, she directed the development of a comprehensive quality, utilization and performance management strategy to achieve the Triple Aim objectives of better care, better health and lower costs.
Friedman also led the development of comprehensive systems of care for children and adults with complex mental health needs; engaged in collaborative efforts with provider networks to address the needs of high-risk, high-cost individuals; and implemented a grant program funding mental health promotion and prevention programs, the development of peer-delivered services and innovative programs to meet the needs of underserved populations.
Prior to Clackamas County Behavioral Health Division, Friedman also held leadership positions in managed care at CareOregon, Inc., Oregon Health & Sciences University and University Medical Group. She has a BS in Sociology from Oregon State University, a MA in Counseling Psychology from Lewis and Clark College and a MBA in Business Administration from Portland State University.
About Health Share of Oregon
Serving Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties, Health Share of Oregon is a unique community-wide partnership created to ensure quality, cost-effective care for Oregon Health Plan members. The largest of the state’s new Coordinated Care Organizations, Health Share provides an integrated community delivery system with the objective of achieving better care, better health and lower costs for the Medicaid population and for the region.Health Share is made up of 11 founding partners: Adventist Health, CareOregon, Central City Concern, Clackamas County, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Multnomah County, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health & Services, Tuality Health Alliance and Washington County.
