Oregon Health Authority director outlines goals to improve state’s health care system

Director of the Oregon Health Authority Sejal Hathi wants to improve Oregon’s health care system, including keeping rural hospitals open, helping the homeless and testing children for lead poisoning.

This week she released a report outlining 16 broad objectives that stem from her meetings with health care leaders in more than a dozen cities across the state during a tour of Oregon during her first six months on the job. Among her goals, Hathi wants to cut red tape for mental health and addiction treatment providers and ensure local public health agencies are adequately staffed to test and treat Oregonians for sexually transmitted infections.

Community leaders pressed these issues and others in their meetings with Hathi in Astoria, Bend, The Dalles, Eugene, Hood River, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, Lebanon, Medford, Pendleton, Portland, Redmond and Salem. to Hathi report cites more than 60 issues community leaders would like to see addressed and 16 areas where state officials have begun to address needs. These include ways to make health more accessible and help providers as they serve Oregon’s most vulnerable people, including residents experiencing homelessness or mental health challenges.

“Many of these challenges are long-standing and complex, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make significant, albeit incremental, progress,” said Dr. Hathi in a statement. “The feedback we’ve received from these communities is driving tangible steps forward at OHA to remove barriers and improve outcomes – and I’m grateful to both our staff and partners for helping us better serve all residents from Oregon.”

Hathi began his role as director of the authority in January and is nearing the end of his first year on the job.

Here’s a look at some goals:

In rural eastern Oregon, officials expressed concern about the closure of hospital and clinic services. In Baker City, Saint Alphonsus Medical Center closed its maternity ward, forcing parents to drive about 44 miles for a delivery. The agency researches state and federal policies and looks for ways to better support health care facilities in rural areas and reduce the risk of closings.

In southern Oregon, communities told Hathi they need more action so children are tested for lead exposure. In response, the Oregon Health Authority has begun work on a new rule to ensure that providers are reimbursed when they perform lead testing for people on Medicaid, which provides health care for about 1.4 million Oregonians with low incomes.

The agency also wants to increase rates of childhood blood lead screening among young people enrolled in Medicaid and set that goal in its strategic plan.

In the Willamette Valley, local public health agencies said they need more funding to test for sexually transmitted infections and HIV. The health authority is working on strategies to make more funding available, including from federal dollars.

The health authority also wants to make it easier to pay for doulas through Medicaid. Doulas provide non-medical support to pregnant women during and after a pregnancy. The health authority plans to seek funding to expand doula hubs into communities. Individual doulas could join hubs so they receive more administrative support as they navigate the Medicaid billing system.

The health authority has two more plans for Medicaid. The agency will give health care providers more guidance on how to bill Medicaid when providing care to homeless and street-living people. In 2023, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made a new billing code available so that providers can bill for outpatient services to the homeless.

The Oregon Health Authority has plans to support community health organizations and workers so they can be reimbursed by Medicaid. Community health workers are on the front lines of health care, working to help patients access the programs and services they need. They often use their backgrounds and experiences to relate to the people they serve and build trust.

— Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle

The Oregon Capital Chroniclefounded in 2021, is a nonprofit news organization focused on Oregon state government, politics and policy.