December 19, 2012 – The newly created Center for Health Systems Effectiveness at Oregon Health & Science University intends to measure the effectiveness of coordinated care organizations under the leadership of John McConnell, PhD, who made a presentation at OHSU’s board meeting last week.
November 28, 2012 -- Just as Oregon and other states are weighing whether to expand Medicaid, a step made optional by the Supreme Court’s June 2012 ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), findings from a new study detailing Medicaid expansion impacts on states may help inform their choices.
November 26, 2012 -- Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) today announced the receipt of a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a gift from Phil and Barbara Silver that will combine to strengthen OHSU's capacity to analyze health reform efforts and contribute to bending the cost curve down.
October 18, 2012 -- Despite the emphasis on healthcare transformation, evident by the $1.9 billion in federal funds that Governor John Kitzhaber garnered to implement coordinated care organizations, the single payer movement isn’t dead in Oregon.
Its champion, Rep. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) plans to re-introduce the same legislation again next February. In 2011, it received a hearing in the House but stalled there (House Bill 3510).
September 12, 2012 – With coordinated care organizations – better known as CCOs -- in full swing for the Medicaid population, Governor John Kitzhaber is setting his sights on the next targets – people on Medicare, the state’s public employees and the private business sector.
July 5, 2012 – The Oregon Health Authority, the governmental agency that oversees the implementation of coordinated care organizations, is seeking proposals for transformation consultants.These consultants are expected to facilitate the exchange of information between these CCOs and the authority and will each be paid up to $100,000 a year for such services and travel costs. The authority intends to award multiple contracts from August 1 through next July.
June 19, 2012—The Oregon Health Authority is nearing the end of countless hours of negotiations with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to finalize a waiver that will allow the state to legally move forward with reforming the Oregon Health Plan.
June 7, 2012—Communication to Oregon Health Plan patients about what the monumental changes to the Oregon Health Plan’s delivery system means to them is beginning in earnest as the August 1 start date for 11 organizations likely to become coordinated care organizations throughout Oregon nears.
May 24, 2012—Dental care organizations serving Oregon Health Plan patients are still publicly concerned about their attempts to become part of the newly forming coordinated care organizations – and made a presentation to the Senate’s health committee during a three-dayinterim session on Monday.