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Hello DHS,
Every year, because of your work, over 600,000 Oregonians, adults and kids, qualify for
life saving and sustaining medical benefits through the Oregon Health Plan. As you
know, right now the Oregon Health Authority is working on a transformation agenda
designed to take our current health care delivery system and really advance it to be one
that more effectively and efficiently delivers “health” to those folks we’re serving,
and not just “health care.”
It’s a very exciting time for Oregon, and you on the front lines, and those of us working
in support of you, are pivotal to the success of this transformation.
I’ve been hearing from lots of you that you want more information about what your
obligations are, and how you’re going to respond when clients call to say, “what’s
happening to my health care?”
I wanted to do a message, specially, to let you know that in the coming weeks there are
going to be some renewed efforts around training opportunities for you, starting with kind
of the basics of health care transformation so we’re all familiar with the language
and the terminology and the goals and what the outcomes
are that we’re trying to achieve. Then moving in July to some more specific information
to give you exact language and phone scripts for your community about how to respond
when clients have questions and how to continue as smooth a transition as we can
possibly support while the health care system moves forward.
We have a long way to go – what’s happening right now is those entities that are called
Coordinated Care Organizations are looking to be certified and negotiating contracts
with the Oregon Health Authority. Once that happens
there is still a lot of building to do in your local communities around the state to
make this system work and to change it for the
better for clients.
I know this is important to you and to me because a lot of the goals that we have as
an organization can’t be achieved without the
health of our clients coming together for them
in new and better ways. Mental health and addiction services. Dental care for kids.
Preventive health care. Management of chronic disease. All of those things impact our
mission of safety, health and independence for Oregonians, so I know you’ll join me
in helping to make this transition to a new health
care delivery model a success. I know that you need the tools to do that, and I hope
if you’re not getting them that you’re letting us
know that as we move forward.
So pay attention. Sign up for trainings. Get involved and engaged, and let us know if
there’s anything more we can do to help you. Thanks so much and have a good week.
~Erinn