People like to say things like "If you've seen one healthcare system, then you've seen one healthcare system" or "every community is different". That may be true on some level, but these are really just excuses to keep doing things the same old way. In fact, most communities are exactly the same when it comes to the most important issues facing the U.S. healthcare system.
If you pick any random community across the country and examine their healthcare delivery system, you'll find that:
On this episode, Jim Rickards MD, MBA tells us the story of how Yamhill County, Oregon is addressing these issues through their Community Care Organization (CCO). Made possible by Oregon's 1115 Medicaid Waiver, the CCO is a community governed health plan that brings competing hospitals, providers, dentists, community leaders, patients and their families to the table. The CCO, as Jim puts it, "gave the community permission to work together". And they have. Whether it be allowing patients to choose Naturopaths as PCPs, tapping latent community resources to launch a paramedicine program, or the creative approach to engaging highschoolers through "Teen Swag Night", Yamhill County has shown that there are ways to move the needle on some of our most pressing healthcare issues. It just takes a change in perspective.
This all comes from Jim's new book, Our Health Plan: Community Governed Healthcare That Works
"The CCO gave the community permission to work together" -Jim Rickards MD, MBA
Here's a breakdown of the topics we discuss:
Give it a listen and then give yourselves permission to work together.
~ Don Lee
Jim Rickards MD, MBA is the senior medical director at Moda Health in Portland, Oregon and author of Our Health Plan. He was a pioneer in developing the Coordinated Care Model for the state of Oregon as a new way to deliver healthcare services to its nearly 1.1 million Medicaid members.
Previously, Dr. Rickards was the Chief Medical Officer of the Oregon Health Authority, where he provided clinical and policy leadership in managing Oregon's Medicaid population.
He received his B.S. from Indiana University Bloomington, MBA from Oregon Health and Science University, M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine, and completed residency and fellowship training in radiology in Chicago at Cook County Hospital and Rush University Hospital, respectively.
Dr. Rickards currently resides in Mcminnville, Oregon.
Learn more: jimrickardsmd.com
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