The Oregon Health Authority has created a set of 18 measures to assess the overall health of its Medicaid population.
The state's coordinated care organizations, which are similar to accountable care organizations, track a variety of data for beneficiaries, including on depression screening, cigarette smoking and whether or not children in foster care receive health assessments.
The measures were developed by the state's Metrics and Scoring Committee, a nine-member group appointed by the OHA director.
The committee has looked to endorse measures that have more "upstream" impact on health, said Chris DeMars, administrator of the OHA's Transformation Center.
For example, by tracking those who smoke, the state has been able to target those patients and enroll them in programs to help them quit and improve their overall health. The state also endorsed a smoking-cessation program that connects with participants via text messages.
"Our metrics are really driving transformation in the delivery system and they have moved the healthcare system outside its clinic walls," DeMars said.
