(HOOD RIVER, Ore.) September 18, 2020— PacificSource Community Solutions announced that the Columbia Gorge Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) received more than $3.4 million dollars from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) for quality performance during 2019. PacificSource Community Solutions has allocated this quality pool money back to the healthcare providers of the CCO and to the Columbia Gorge Health Council (CGHC). The CGHC also has distributed funds to the healthcare network as well as to existing health improvement workgroups.
The OHA uses quality measures to determine how successful CCOs have been at improving care and making quality care accessible. The Columbia Gorge CCO met its performance targets on 16 of 19 quality measures; 14 of these exceeded the highest-level state benchmark.
Performance on quality measures in the Columbia Gorge CCO was the highest in the state on two early childhood measures: childhood immunizations and developmental screenings.
Together, PacificSource Community Solutions and the Columbia Gorge Health Council lead the PacificSource Columbia Gorge CCO, which includes nearly every healthcare provider in Hood River and Wasco Counties, serving over 13,500 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 one in four residents in the two counties.
“These measures are aimed at improving physical, mental, and dental health, and we continue to meet goals that have raised expectations in those areas,” said Elke Towey, PacificSource’s director for the Columbia Gorge CCO. “The engagement, collaboration, and hard work of the health care providers and staff in our region is outstanding. This is the third year in a row that our CCO has earned 100% of the Quality Pool, and while the measures themselves are focused on our Gorge Medicaid population, the work that’s being done ultimately benefits all patients as these measures become quality practice standards for everyone.”
The OHA has published a 2019 Performance Report that includes all of Oregon’s CCOs. The report is online at Oregon.gov/oha.
The Columbia Gorge Health Council consists of healthcare, county, consumer members, and other community leaders in Hood River and Wasco Counties who work together to recommend and guide solutions and improvements to the region’s healthcare system. It works in partnership with PacificSource Community Solutions to guide the area’s Coordinated Care Organization as well as develop strategies and policies to address the needs of the poor and vulnerable in the region.
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.