reform efforts

Oregon Could Reduce Uninsured by 51 Percent Under Medicaid Expansion

Within the context of the Affordable Care Act, a new analysis simulates the effects of expanding Medicaid eligibility on cost, enrollment and uninsured numbers. Findings show that a Medicaid expansion in Oregon would cut uninsured numbers by half, increase enrollees more than six-fold, and raise spending, though relatively modestly.
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. Read More >>

Tension Mounts in Klamath County Over CCO

Cascade Health Alliance, which has been certified as the CCO, cannot move forward because of an impasse with county commissioners over mental health services
November 21, 2012 -- The movement to create coordinated care organizations throughout Oregon is riddled with tension in Klamath County where its commissioners are embroiled in a dispute with Cascade Health Alliance over who should be responsible for mental health services. Read More >>

Naturopaths Given Reprieve by Oregon Health Authority

But patients who want to start seeing naturopathic doctors through the Oregon Health Plan are still out of luck
November 16, 2012 -- Naturopathic doctors are “cautiously optimistic” that they will have a place within Oregon’s coordinated care organizations (CCOs) after officials threatened to cut them out of the primary-care system and seemingly ignore non-discrimination language in Senate Bill 1509. Read More >>

Suicide Strikes Physicians at Alarming Rate

Dr. Pamela Wible, who admits she was suicidal herself, has written a book to help other physicians enjoy practicing medicine once again
November 15, 2012 -- Doctors have a far higher suicide completion rate than the general public. In fact, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimates that on average the United States loses as many as 400 physicians to suicide each year, that’s at least one a day and the equivalent of two to three entire medical school classes. Read More >>

People on Medicaid Struggle with Mental Health, Substance Abuse Problems

Health Share of Oregon board members rely on their prior experiences to help bridge the gap between physical and mental health
November 8, 2012 – There’s a very high preponderance of people on the Oregon Health Plan who have a mental health or substance abuse problem, according to Mary Monnat, president and CEO of LifeWorks NW. In the Portland metropolitan area, such problems affect 70 percent of that population. Read More >>

Healthcare Leaders Stress Need for Diversity Among CCOs

Since racial and ethnic minorities represent a disproportionate share of the uninsured, there was a call for CCOs to become more inclusive
November 8, 2012 -- As the state’s coordinated care organizations ramp up, healthcare experts agree that a major advance CCOs can bring to the table is the ability to custom-design healthcare priorities based on the needs of a specific community. Read More >>

Dembrow Intends to Keep Single Payer Movement Alive Next Session

The Portland legislator is convinced that a single payer health system is the most affordable and comprehensive option
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. Read More >>

Preparing for New Cost-Saving, Health-Enhancing Workers on the Care Team

While waiting for specific training and certification requirements from OHA, providers are making plans to hire and train the non-traditional health care workers Oregon law is bringing into the system to improve care and lower costs
October 16, 2012 -- A community health worker accompanies a heart patient to the supermarket to show him how to buy heart-healthy foods. A peer wellness specialist helps a troubled young woman navigate the mental health system and develop a tailor-made toolbox for recovery. A personal health navigator connects an elderly immigrant to a primary care physician who speaks her language and is sensitive to her fear of the formal healthcare system. Read More >>

Petition Delays Integration of Dental Services into CCOs

Now state officials must wait until June 2013 before dental care can become part of the transformation process
October 11, 2012 -- Dental care is off the radar screen for the time being. State officials had been preparing to integrate dental services into the coordinated care organizations (CCOs) on January 1, and had finalized a memorandum of understanding to seek approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Read More >>

Beaverton Activist Brings Community Health Partners Together

The project has already received a $1.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and has won the support of Governor John Kitzhaber
October 4, 2012 -- Betty Bode is on a mission to create a healthier community for the city of Beaverton. A public health advocate, she’s spent more than a decade pursuing what many people told her was impossible -- bringing together all the healthcare stakeholders with a shared vision. Read More >>
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