The vast majority of Oregon’s "Coordinated Care Organizations" earned all available "quality dollars" last year, according to a new report from the Oregon Health Authority.
Coordinated Care Organizations look after the 1 million Oregonians who get health insurance through the Oregon Health Plan.
The organizations have to show improvements in specific areas to get a slice of the $168 million the state sets aside to encourage quality. For example, hospital re-admissions — that's when a patient returns to the hospital within a month of leaving — have dropped 33 percent since 2011.
Lori Coyner, Oregon’s Medicaid Director, said she’s pleased with the report.
“Now that the program has been going for three years, we’re really starting to see improvements in some metrics that were hard at the beginning,” she said.
The report found some areas need more attention like treatment for people struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, cervical cancer screenings, and help for people trying to stop smoking.
Copyright 2016 Oregon Public Broadcasting
