Its contract with the Oregon Health Authority started in 2020, and it has nearly 100 employees in the state. The health authority has a $35 million contract with Comagine Health, a national Seattle-based nonprofit with more than 400 employees, a presence in more than 20 states, including Oregon, and a 50-year history. To qualify for treatment, Oregonians in the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan must undergo assessments that determine how much care they should receive. “Oregon Health Authority is undertaking a comprehensive audit of the program and is working with Comagine Health and listening to our community partners to resolve the outstanding issues and adopt any corrective measures,” Heider said. Instead, he sent a four-sentence statement saying the agency acknowledges concerns and recognizes that people need community support. Oregon Health Authority spokesman Tim Heider did not answer questions from the Capital Chronicle about the issue, including what improvements, if any, it has made in response to the concerns of disability advocates. Many patients don’t get the care they need – partly because assessors are ill trained, often through YouTube videos, advocates found.
The system is part of the reason Oregon has a mental health crisis, advocates say. The system directly impacts the plight of hundreds of Oregonians who need behavioral health services, often intensive care in residential facilities, by determining what treatment and services Medicaid insurers will pay for as well. The whistleblower, whose name is redacted in documents, contacted the Oregon Secretary of State’s hotline in March, sparking the audit, which is due for completion as soon as mid-September. The Oregon Health Authority is facing mounting questions from agency staff and disability advocates about its system that determines whether vulnerable Oregonians receive the mental health care they need.Įarlier this year, the authority launched an internal audit after an agency staffer grew concerned about possible financial mismanagement, unprofessional behavior and poor decisions about how much care Oregonians in residential facilities should receive, the Capital Chronicle discovered through public records.
0 kommentar(er)
