5 Things We’re Watching – Oregon, September 2013

With our annual conference  held next week, it gives us a chance to bring those topics we are watching most closely onto the center stage for a broader community discussion.

So, this month we feature 5 Things you’ll find at our conference on October 9th in one of the most diversely attended, substantive events of the year in health care!  We’d love to have you with us.

1. “I wish I were a fly on the wall…”

We sometimes wonder how those conversations between the OHA and CMS go when no one else is listening.  It’s probably not all roses and sunshine, right?

There is a lot riding on the Oregon transformation project being a success – both inside the state and outside.  At our noon Keynote Panel, we’ll let Susan Johnson (Region X Director, US Dept of HHS) and Bruce Goldberg (Director, OHA) talk like no one else was in the room.  We’ll be a “fly on the wall” and listen in to how the state-federal interaction on the transformation effort.

2. The future of employer-sponsored healthcare

Our friends at OCHCP have helped to put together an interesting panel talking about the what employers are thinking and planning when it comes to changing healthcare moving forward.

Dan Mitten, the Executive Director of the Coalition, will be joined by Brian Devore from Intel and Kathy Loretz from PEBB, two important thought leaders from the employer world.  This is definitely a panel we’ll keep our eye on!

3.  “Engaging CCOs from the periphery” at 1:45 

CCOs get a lot of attention, rightly so.  But the delivery system doesn’t stop there any more than health stops at the doctor’s office.

This panel will talk through how to integrate into the CCO transformation effort from the “outside looking in.”  Executives from Cascadia Behavioral Health, CCO Oregon and Central City Concern will join us to talk through how to offer their insight and expertise.

4. Integration, integration, integration

Our Convening Panel was clear about a number of things, but perhaps most clear about the need for content around integration.  What has “actually worked?”  What strategies are organizations trying?  What have we learned are the obstacles to change?

So, we’ve created a number of panels focused on integration, including some in-depth case studies from FamilyCare, ATRIO, and Trillium.  These panels will likely have some very good audience participation with a lot of dialog.

5.  “Here’s what’s coming next…”

One of the things we’re most proud of is offering panels full of “doers” rather than “talkers.”  People who are on the ground, trying to determine what is practical amidst all of the theory.  These are the ones that can often tell us what’s coming next because they know what works.

This year, we have panels of “doers” from Salem insiders, from exchange marketers, consumer engagers, policy leaders and hospital managers.  It’s a lot – and we think you’ll find a tremendous amount of good stuff on this year’s agenda.