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Portland , Ore. — March 28, 2007 — This week Oregon ’s hospitals unveiled House Bill 3290, the latest step in their ongoing plan to increase public accountability and demonstrate how these health care facilities meet their community obligations. The bill is co-sponsored by Representative Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland), chair of the House Health Care Committee and Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), chair of the Senate Health Policy and Public Affairs Committee.
HB 3290 accomplishes several goals important to Oregon health care policy makers, purchasers and patients, including:
- Presenting a clear picture of how local hospitals assess and meet community needs and how these services benefit all Oregonians
- Creating a standardized list of services for which hospitals receive below-cost or no payment, and the value of such services
- Reporting the collected data to the Oregon Office of Health Policy and Research for publication.
HB 3290 was created by Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) using a community benefit model developed by two nationally recognized authorities on collecting and reporting these services – the VHA and the Catholic Health Association of America . The CHA/VHA organizations defined community benefit as those programs and activities that provide treatment or promote health in response to needs of special populations or
public health issues. These programs and services usually generate low or negative margins. They are services that would likely be discontinued or would need to be funded by a government agency if the decision were made only on a financial basis.
“The community benefits bill is a key priority for OAHHS and its 57 members statewide,” said Jim Wathen, president of Southern Coos Hospital and Health Center in Bandon and chairman of the OAHHS Board of Trustees. “Our members are absolutely committed to this process. HB 3290 gives legislators and community leaders proven tools to make informed decisions for the health of our communities and the hospitals that serve them.”
Hospitals will collect and release data that is based on standardized reporting guidelines. The reports will detail each hospital’s support of community benefit programs that address the unmet needs of special populations, beyond discounting and charity care.
“We have created a comprehensive, accountable system that will provide every community with full access to information on their hospital’s contributions,” said Andy Davidson , president and CEO of OAHHS. “Because the bill implements standardized guidelines, the reporting system will give us a clear, across-the-board picture of how much each hospital is actually contributing to meet local health care needs. We want policy makers to be able to make the kinds of important decisions affecting the state’s health care in the context of complete information. That’s hard to do right now without uniform reporting,” Davidson said.
Community benefit reports will also be available on OAHHS PricePoint, the association’s public website launched in 2005 that provides consumers basic, facility-specific information about hospital services and charges. Oregon was the first state in the nation to make available every hospital’s financial assistance guidelines on a public website, www.orpricepoint.org.
Also in 2005, Oregon hospitals unveiled the OAHHS Hospital Quality website www.orhospitalquality.org that shows how they are meeting national quality goals. “ Oregon hospitals have a history of public accountability and we are more committed than ever,” Davidson said. “Showing how our members have increased access to heath care services, outside the emergency room whenever possible, and helped to keep people well is what really counts.”
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