Background: On September 14, 2020 the OCH Board of Directors met for their annual retreat to hear progress made by the OCH Visioning Taskforce on the potential future state of the organization.
High-level future state proposal:
Board members were asked "How do you feel about the future state proposal?"
Summary: The following is a summary of the discussion about the future state proposal.
Aligns with the mission: This kind of work is not something any one organization or Tribe can do alone. OCHs role of connector/convenor/facilitator and bringing people together is the true success of the organization. There is no substitute.
Maximize successes: The gaps/problems in the Olympic region with the biggest impacts are really hard to tackle. Would like to focus efforts on gaps/problems that are clearly defined and where we can have an achievable impact. Possibly start with low hanging fruit (those identified as “easiest to address”):
Move upstream: Looking at the determinants of health and moving upstream to focus more on prevention is the right work. This will be broader, community-based work and we need more involvement from community to drive decisions about what is needed.
Broaden the population of focus: Look outside Medicaid and at the overall healthcare system. Be more inclusive of other vulnerable populations (e.g. Medicare only, dually eligible, uninsured, etc.).
Clarify focus areas: Future state proposal included an initial list of focus areas for the region. A focus area that addresses the “right care at the right time” is missing from current list. List needs further refinement. What focus areas do we want to prioritize?
Statewide advocacy: Advocacy will play a large piece of accomplishing this kind of work.
Funding: Focus on funding opportunities that serve those with the greatest needs. Hospitals don’t want to be responsible for funding. Entering a time without planned funding is scary, need a better sense of potential funding that could be available. Top funding strategies of interest: RWJF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grants not in competition with direct services, small healthcare insurance surcharge, federal grant opportunities, hospital foundations, MCOs.
We can start now: The future state proposal allows us to be innovative and go back to why we started this in the first place (before MTP). We need to find a way to capture the work. We can start this work anytime, why wait? Let’s start now.
Lingering questions and items to revisit:
Recommended watch: The Social Dilemma on Netflix
More information about how statewide data on Medicaid eligibility is captured (who is included and who may be missing).
We need to better define the populations and the focus. How do we go about deciding? How much of this will be driven by funding?
What is the role of the MCOs in the future state (financially and other ways)?
We need to better define the partners of the future state work. How do we engage new partners and maintain current relationships?
Define what outcomes we will use to capture return on investment and determine success.
What will governance look like? Do we need to change anything?
What can we limit/minimize with MTP to accelerate the future state? Let’s bring the future to now. Need more granular change management strategies.
Proposed next steps:
Board review staff responses to questions posed about future state funding possibilities
Reconvene Visioning Taskforce and recruit Kitsap representative
Share future state proposal with broader group of partners for additional input and feedback
Staff to work with the Funds Flow committee to determine how to adjust 2021 MTP activities on areas that are most important to the region and to begin to include future state focus area activities
Bring revised future state proposal to Board in the Summer of 2021 for final vote