Employers are eager to find cost-effective ways to lower their healthcare costs and improve productivity.
The Oregon Health Authority could have the answer. It’s developing a coordinated care approach modeled after the Medicaid plans that show a reduction in costs, offer enhanced preventive services and create a healthier population. “The Triple Aim is the endgame,” Zeke Smith, who chairs the Oregon Health Policy Board, told his colleagues recently.
Oregon Health Forum is bringing this message to light at a breakfast forum Dec. 3 co-sponsored with Oregon Business Magazine. We’re expecting a sell-out crowd. A few tickets are still available, with the event getting underway at 7 a.m. at the Multnomah Athletic Club.
This isn’t just a pie in the sky approach. The Health Authority has convened a CCO alignment group comprised of business and government leaders, consumer advocates and representatives from PEBB, OEBB and the Insurance Division, which has already developed boiler-plate contract language. And it's planning to contract with the Metropolitan Group to gauge consumer interest and help spread the word.
Self-insured employers are the initial target group, but fully-insured employers and multi-state employers are also a captive audience.
Lynne Saxton, director of the Health Authority, who’s eager to bring the CCO model into the private sector, will share her insights at the Dec. 3 breakfast.
She’ll be joined by:
Sean Jessup, who’s in charge of Medicaid benefits for Moda Health, which runs the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization in 12 rural counties Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization in 12 rural counties;
Dr. Craig Fausel, CEO and president of The Oregon Clinic, the state’s largest physician-owned multi-specialty clinic in Oregon with more than 200 providers;
Janet Meyer, CEO of Health Share of Oregon, who runs the largest coordinated care organization in the state,
Tami Graham, director of global benefits strategy for Intel, and
Tim Nesbitt, public policy consultant and a contributing columnist for The Oregonian as our moderator.
Intel, one of Oregon’s largest self-insured employers, touched off a nerve among insurers by embarking on a novel approach that’s reduced costs and improved the health of its 17,500 employees – after choosing a select group of physicians and hospitals instead of signing a traditional insurance contract. Their health plan connects employees directly with clinics and hospitals at Kaiser Permanente and Providence Health & Services.
Not only has its approach been successful in Oregon, New Mexico and Oregon -- now other employers are anxious to follow Intel’s lead.
Our panel of thought leaders will look into these compelling questions:
- Should employers follow the lead of the Medicaid coordinated care organizations by transforming health care?
- Which insurers are likely to draw the majority of small employers on the exchange? Will tax credits entice employers to purchase coverage?
- How are physicians shifting their practices to respond to this changing model?
- What strategies and solutions can help you reduce costs and improve the quality of health care for your employees?
Learn more at our Dec. 3rd breakfast forum!
Diane can be reached at [email protected]
