Oregon Health Authority

Mt. Hood, in Oregon.

Oregon coordinated care organizations cut admissions and emergency department use for several costly conditions, according to a new report from the Oregon Health Authority that examined the outcomes of 16 CCOs.

Oregon’s CCOs are networks of healthcare providers  that work together to serve patients covered under the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid). They focus their efforts on prevention and helping patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes.

The latest report examined outcomes between July 2014 and June 30, 2015. It found:

• The all-cause readmissions rate fell to less than 10 percent from  nearly 13 percent in 2011; that’s below the state’s 10.5 percent benchmark.
• Use of emergency rooms fell 23 percent from 2011’s baseline.
• Admissions for short-term diabetes complications fell 32 percent.
• Admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients 40 and older plunged 68 percent.

But as FierceHealthcare noted: “Among Medicaid beneficiaries with severe mental illnesses, ED use remains far higher than the declining statewide rate of overall ED use.”

“Oregon will continue to monitor this metric to determine if additional community services made possible by recent investments lead to a decreased utilization of emergency departments for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness,” the report states.

Fierce also noted that ED use “remained higher than statewide averages for disabled patients in general, mirroring the national trend, which the report suggests can be improved through timely follow-up after hospitalization.”