Coordinated care organization progress data shows continued reduction in emergency department visits, lower costs

John A. Kitzhaber, MD, Governor 
News release  
www.health.oregon.gov 
February 4, 2014

Oregon‘s fourth Health System Transformation report indicates that the coordinated care model is continuing to improve key areas of care for Oregon’s Medicaid population, while keeping costs down. The report released today shows coordinated care organization (CCO) progress for the first nine months of 2013 on key performance and cost measurements.  
 
“Emergency department visits and spending are decreasing under the coordinated care model,” said Tina Edlund, acting OHA Director. Measurements indicate Oregon’s CCOs are lowering unnecessary hospitalizations for conditions that can better be treated elsewhere. “There are also reductions in hospital readmissions, largely due to community efforts to achieve the highest quality care and to keep people at their healthiest,” she said. 

Highlighted findings
•  Decreased emergency department visits: Nine full months of reporting shows that emergency department visits by people served by CCOs has decreased 13 percent from 2011 baseline data.  
•  Decreased hospitalization for chronic conditions: Coordinated care organizations reduced hospital admissions for congestive heart failure by 32 percent, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 36 percent, and adult asthma by 18 percent.
•  Increased primary care: Spending for primary care is up more than 18 percent. Enrollment in patient-centered primary care homes has also increased by 51 percent since 2012, the baseline year for that program.  More than two-thirds of CCO members are now enrolled in patient-centered primary care homes.  
•  Increased adoption of electronic health records: Electronic health record adoption among measured providers has doubled. In 2011, 28 percent of eligible providers had adopted electronic health records. By September of 2013, 58 percent of eligible providers were using them.  
•  All-cause readmission: The percentage of adults who had a hospital stay and were readmitted for any reason within 30 days of discharge dropped from a 2011 baseline of 12.3 percent to 11.3 percent in the first nine months of 2013, a reduction of 8 percent.

Full press release here