June 7, 2018
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen is hitting the road this summer to engage Oregonians in a conversation about the future of the Oregon Health Plan. Allen is scheduled to travel to 10 communities (Astoria, Bend, Coos Bay, Corvallis, Hermiston, Hood River, Klamath Falls, Ontario, Portland and Springfield) to discuss how far Oregon’s health transformation has come and where it's going, and to get feedback on proposed policy options to improve the state’s coordinated care system.
The end of the first five-year contracts with coordinated care organizations (CCOs) marks an opportunity for the Oregon Health Policy Board to work with stakeholders to improve the services that 1 million Oregonians receive through the Oregon Health Plan. CCOs are community-governed organizations that bring together physical, mental health, addiction medicine, and dental health providers to coordinate care for people on the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid).
Since 2012 Oregon’s coordinated care model has saved taxpayers an estimated $2.2 billion, while also reducing unnecessary emergency department visits, and improving preventive care for children and adults.
On June 5 OHA presented policy options and strategies to the Oregon Health Policy Board to shape the next five years of health care coverage offered through the Oregon Health Plan. The policy options were informed by public input gathered this spring through surveys, community forums, in-person and online stakeholder meetings, and emails.
The policies focus on four priority improvement areas identified by Governor Kate Brown:
- Maintain sustainable cost growth.
- Increase value-based payments that pay for performance.
- Focus on social determinants of health and equity.
- Improve the behavioral health system.
OHA will continue to gather public input on the policy options throughout the summer, and the Oregon Health Policy Board will adopt final recommendations this fall. Coordinated care contracts for 2020-2025 are expected to be awarded in summer 2019.
For more information, visit the CCO 2.0 webpage.
June 2018 community meeting schedule
Monday, June 18
Hood River, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Hood River Inn
1108 E Marina Drive
Tuesday, June 19
Hermiston, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.*
Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center
1750 E Airport Road
Ontario, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Treasure Valley Community College, Weese Building, Room 110
650 College Blvd
Wednesday, June 20
Bend, noon to 2 p.m.
Central Oregon Community College, Wille Hall **
2600 NW College Way
Thursday, June 21
Portland, 6-8 p.m.
Madison High School
2735 NE 82nd Ave
Tuesday, June 26
Corvallis, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Oregon State University LaSells Stewart Center
875 SW 26th Street
Springfield, 6-8 p.m.
Holiday Inn
919 Kruse Way
Wednesday, June 27
Astoria, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Astoria Armory
1636 Exchange Street
Coos Bay, 7-9 p.m.
Red Lion Inn
1313 N Bayshore Drive
Thursday, June 28
Klamath Falls, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Henley Elementary School
8227 Highway 39
Spanish language interpretation services will be available at the meetings.
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Everyone has a right to know about and use Oregon Health Authority (OHA) programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:
- Sign language and spoken language interpreters
- Written materials in other languages
- Braille
- Large print
- Audio and other formats
If you need help or have questions, please contact Lisa Bui at 971-673-3397, 711 TTY, or lisa.t.bui@state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting. OHA will make every effort to provide services for requests made closer to the meeting.
* This news release was updated June 12, 2018, at 9:15 a.m., to reflect a change in the scheduled time of the Hermiston meeting.
** This news release was updated June 18, 2018, at 3 p.m., to reflect a change in the location of the Bend meeting.