To the OHA team:
One of the most important ways we serve Oregonians is through technology. We want everyone's electronic interaction with us to be easy and error-free, and this is one area where we've been exploring several ways to improve.
One notable project is our Oregon Eligibility (ONE) system. Early in 2015, we decided to adapt Kentucky's successful online system for enrolling in Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Medicaid. Over the past several months, a team led by Sarah Miller has taken the Kentucky system and tailored it to Oregon's needs. The first phase, a portal that will allow state workers to sign people up for the Oregon Health Plan, opens opens this Tuesday, Dec. 15. The next phase, which will allow applicants to apply directly, should begin in Feb. 2016.
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OHA staff learn how to enroll OHP members. |
The ONE system will eventually allow us to work seamlessly with DHS services and ensure we serve Oregonians efficiently and accurately.
On Sept. 14, our Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program began offering Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to WIC participants in Linn and Benton counties. This technology project converts WIC benefits from paper checks to a plastic card.
As of Dec. 9, the WIC program has issued 4,268 eWIC cards, and 91 percent of the WIC families in the pilot area have converted to eWIC. Fifty-five percent of families chose to get a second card to be used by another shopper for their family account.
The first eWIC purchase occurred at a WIC authorized grocery store in Corvallis. The WIC shopper purchased $25.90 worth of healthy foods including fresh fruits and vegetables: cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, bananas, tomatoes, whole wheat bread, breakfast cereal, eggs, milk, and cheese. Clearly, this project benefits both WIC participants and vendors, and enables the program to be accountable and lean.
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WIC staff practice using eWIC cards in Corvallis. |
The eWIC pilot will continue in Linn and Benton counties through the end of the year, with statewide rollout planned for January through March of 2016.
We are also collaborating with partners to get more return on our technology investments. For example, we teamed up with the Oregon Health Leadership Council, a collaborative organization developing practical solutions to reduce the cost of health care, to bring the Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE) to Oregon.
EDIE provides real-time hospital notifications for patients who visit the emergency department frequently, with the goal of reducing avoidable hospital use and improve health outcomes. All of Oregon’s 59 hospitals have voluntarily adopted the EDIE utility.
Nine of OHA’s coordinated care organizations are signing on to use PreManage, which complements EDIE, allowing hospital event data to be pushed to health care organizations outside the hospital setting in real time.
These examples of technology projects are health system transformation in action. These are tangible ways we are providing access to better health, better care and lower costs. Technology can be challenging, as we’ve seen first-hand in recent weeks, but it’s a necessary and valuable part of our data-driven agency. I’m so excited that our innovative technology projects are moving us forward into a brighter future.
Thank you,
Lynne
To your health: The holiday season can be stressful. Amid all the giving, it’s important to take care of yourself and your family, including teenagers. Here are some suggestions from the National Suicide Prevention Line:
- Surround yourself with support
- Treat yourself
- Set realistic expectations
- Volunteer
- Reach out for help – if you need immediate emotional support or want to talk to a caring counselor about what you’re feeling, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Line/Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, any time, day or night.
En español: 1-888-628-9454; TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)
- Each county has a Crisis Line
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