Oregon's Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Program

The permanent rule filing for the Oregon Patient-Centered Primary Care Home Program (OAR 409-55) was published March 1st and is available on the Oregon Health Policy and Research website. It is notable that higher tiers of PCPCH require meaningful use of certified EMRs and electronic exchange of information. Another interesting detail is the language about co-location, physical or virtual, with specialty mental health, substance abuse, and developmental providers. This seems to open opportunities to connect providers to form virtual organizations using information technology. Telemedicine efforts have not always had clear value propositions for providers even though it has grown with patient benefits in mind and with the hope of strengthening relationships between providers. PCPCH arrangements might change this dynamic, encouraging the use of telemedicine technologies for the benefit of patients and all participants.