C.O. coordinated care entity receives $14.3 million for high quality scores

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- PacificSource Community Solution’s Central Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) announced that it will receive $14.39 million from Quality Pool payments made by the Oregon Health Authority OHA to the CCO for quality performance during 2019.

The money earned from the Quality Pool will go back to the care providers for the Central Oregon CCO for quality initiatives throughout Central Oregon, strategically aimed at improving the health of those within the CCO.

PacificSource’s Central Oregon CCO met 15 of the 19 quality measures and excelled in assessments for children in DHS custody, colorectal cancer screening, dental sealants for children, depression screenings, effective contraceptive use, oral evaluation for adults with diabetes, and postpartum care.

The CCO was also the highest-ranking CCO in the state for adolescent well-care visits.

Quality measures are used by the OHA to determine how successful CCOs have been at improving care, making quality care accessible, eliminating health disparities, and curbing the rising cost of healthcare for the populations they serve.

The Central Oregon CCO has been eligible for its maximum payout in nearly every year since the Quality Pool payments began in 2013. 

Together, PacificSource Community Solutions and the Central Oregon Health Council lead PacificSource’s Central Oregon CCO, which includes most healthcare providers in Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, and Northern Klamath counties, and serves more than 50,000 members of Oregon’s Medicaid program, known as the Oregon Health Plan (OHP).

Medicaid, which is government-funded health insurance for low income individuals and families, currently covers approximately one in four residents in the four counties.

"The Central Oregon Health Council is proud to partner with PacificSource and collaborate with community providers and partners to improve the quality of healthcare services in our region,” said Donna Mills, executive director of the Central Oregon Health Council. “This work strongly supports our organization’s mission of creating a healthier Central Oregon.”

"We are grateful for our strong regional partnerships with providers who consistently deliver high-quality care year over year,” said Dan Stevens, executive vice president and Oregon regional director at PacificSource.

The OHA has published a 2019 Performance Report that includes all of Oregon’s CCOs. It can be found online at Oregon.gov/oha. 

About the Central Oregon Health Council

The Central Oregon Health Council (COHC) is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt public and private community governance entity. The COHC is dedicated to improving the health of the region and providing oversight of the Medicaid population and the Central Oregon CCO. The COHC was officially created by Senate Bill 204 in 2011 to promote the health of the region’s residents, and it seeks to achieve the Triple Aim of improving health outcomes, increasing satisfaction with the health system, and reducing cost. The COHC’s mission is to serve as the governing Board for the CCO and to connect the CCO, patients, providers, Central Oregon, and resources. The COHC and Central Oregon’s CCO work together to transform healthcare in the region and to use integrated and coordinated healthcare systems to improve health; increase quality, reliability, availability, and continuity of care; and reduce the cost of care.

About PacificSource Community Solutions

PacificSource Community Solutions is part of the PacificSource family of companies that provides Medicaid services to Central Oregon and the Columbia Gorge, as well as Lane, Marion, and Polk Counties. PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource is based in Springfield, Oregon, with local offices throughout Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs over 1,500 people and serves more than 523,700 individuals throughout the Greater Northwest. For more information, visit PacificSource.com.