Seventy Oregon health care practices including High Lakes Healthcare in Bend, Internal Medicine Associates and Central Oregon Family Medicine in Redmond and High Lakes Health Care and St. Charles Family Care in Sisters from around the state have been selected to participate in a new public-private partnership to improve patient care at lower costs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Wednesday.
Oregon is one of seven areas in the country selected to be part of a four-year Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. The initiative is designed to support practices that want to enhance their primary care services for their patients. Under the primary care model, doctors may offer longer and more flexible hours, provide additional services such as nutrition or smoking-cessation counseling, and receive better-coordinated care for managing multiple chronic conditions and other health needs.
“Congratulations to the 70 practices and supporting health plans that stepped up to be a model for the state and the nation. By putting patients first and focusing on wellness, we can improve health and lower costs,” said Governor John Kitzhaber.
Under the initiative, these practices will receive enhanced payments from the federal government (CMS), commercial insurers and the Oregon Health Authority to support better-coordinated health care services.
“The Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative is the kind of common sense investment in health care we need,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Businesses, families and taxpayers all benefit from a stronger primary care system that helps them improve our health and lower costs.”
The goals of the initiative are aligned with Oregon’s overall health reform efforts. Most of the selected practices already are or may become recognized by the Oregon Health Authority as Patient-Centered Primary Care Homes as a piece of this initiative. Expanding the availability of primary care homes will provide better access to care now and strengthen the primary care networks as Coordinated Care Organizations emerge.
For more information on the initiative and the selected practices in Oregon, please visit www.innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/Comprehensive-Primary-Care-Initiative/index.html.
For more information on Oregon’s Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Program and Coordinated Care Organizations, visit www.health.oregon.gov.
