Oregon's 380,000 new Medicaid enrollees are younger and healthier than anticipated, so the influx into the state's coordinated-care system did not negatively affect its ability to meet targeted savings of $11 billion over 10 years, the state reported.
A 21% decline occurred in emergency department visits for patients served by Oregon's coordinated-care organizations since the 2011 baseline, the state reported. Also reported: a 9.3% decline in hospital admissions related to short-term diabetes complications and a 48% decrease in hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Oregon's Medicaid reform initiative was launched in 2012 after receiving a $1.9 billion grant from the CMS. Sixteen CCOs are now managing the care of the 990,000 Oregon Health Plan enrollees.
The effort to get enrollees connected to a patient-centered medical home could be partially responsible for the care improvements. CCOs also have been motivated to improve care by receiving incentive payments if they meet or exceed 17 performance-measure targets, such as controlling diabetes and hypertension.
