Timothy Pehrson
I have previously used this column to talk about the concept of value, and what that means in health care. Simply put, value is what consumers are fairly demanding from health care providers: appropriately reducing costs, improving quality and outcomes, and paying for results. Moving to value is a long process that will require investing in early interventions and preventive care and developing strong partnerships between providers, health plans and the public health system.
Moving to value will unlock the potential of our health system. Oklahoma’s physicians, nurses, and caregivers are world-class. However, our state’s health rankings consistently fall behind the rest of the country. Maternal mortality, chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and access to mental health care are all areas where our state ranks poorly.
To make an improvement in our health outcomes, we must break down the siloes that are holding our health system back and work together in a more coordinated way.
The fastest way to jump-start this care transformation, for the benefit of all Oklahomans, is to infuse value into our Medicaid system. Medicaid now covers roughly a quarter of our state’s population, including over 600,000 of our state’s children. By moving our Medicaid system to one that rewards providers for the value of the care they provide rather than just the volume of procedures performed, we will drive changes throughout our health system that will improve care for all Oklahomans, regardless of their health coverage.
Thankfully, the Oklahoma Legislature has begun to move our state down this path by advancing transformative Medicaid Reform. Led by Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, and Rep. Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan, Senate Bill 1337 takes a great leap toward stabilizing rural health care, increasing access to care, and improving our state’s health outcomes by empowering providers to work together to coordinate care for Medicaid patients and investing in quality and outcome-based incentives for providers.
Medicaid reform will mean better, more affordable care delivered in a way that makes sense for patients, whether that’s at a primary care physician office, a community health center or through telemedicine.
I encourage the Legislature to put SB 1337 across the finish line this legislative session. Oklahoma’s health care providers stand ready to work with our state leaders to build a value-based system that will drive results for all Oklahoma patients.
Timothy Pehrson is president and CEO of Integris Health.