30 years of CareOregon: A Timeline

In 1993, two Portland health care leaders sat down for a candid discussion. As the Oregon Health Plan took shape, Billi Odegaard, director of the Multnomah County Health Department, and Dr. Peter Kohler, president of OHSU, saw another need: a health plan wholly dedicated to serving Medicaid recipients under OHP’s pioneering approach. Their instincts were spot on. And their vision turned into CareOregon.

Below are 30 highlights from CareOregon’s eventful, impactful 30 years: 

1994

• February 1: CareOregon launches, part of Multnomah County Health Department

1997 

• April: CareOregon gains 501(c) (3) nonprofit status.

2000 

• Under our umbrella, stakeholders including Multnomah County and Oregon Primary Care Association win federal CAP grant to improve administrative systems and centralize data. The result is Oregon Community Health Information Network (OCHIN), which we administer for two years.

2004 

• With 12% of members consuming 60% of our budget, we start CareSupport — multidisciplinary care management that integrates social services and focuses on members with multiple complex conditions. CareSupport evolves into the CareSupport and System Innovation (CSSI) program. We work with 48 network providers to develop a payment model based on quality measures better suited to Medicaid providers than standard pay-for-performance. CSSI leads to Primary Care Renewal.

2005 

• September: CareOregon buys the 315 SW Fifth Ave building from ODS.

2006 

• CareOregon Advantage Plus launches as Medicare Special Needs Plan (SNP) for members dually eligible for OHP and Medicare.
• At five primary care clinics, CareOregon pilots Primary Care Renewal project, a team-based approach that is a forerunner to patient-centered medical homes.

2010 

• 2010-2012: CareOregon invests $11 million in community health clinics, helping create five new clinics to expand members’ access to primary care services. We transfer clinic ownership to a new nonprofit, Neighborhood Health Center, enabling those clinics to apply for designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center.

2012 

• CareOregon helps establish five CCOs: Health Share of Oregon, Columbia Pacific CCO, Jackson Care Connect, Yamhill Community Care Organization and Primary Health of Josephine County; supports the start of Oregon’s Health CO-OP, a private nonprofit health insurer.
• Multnomah County transfers its dental care organization to CareOregon.

2014 

• CareOregon celebrates 20 years of creating community well-being, with a float in the Rose Festival Starlight Parade, featuring Pharrell Williams’s “Happy,” our staff and members. The idea was proposed by Community Health Engagement Advocates, the CareOregon consumer advisory group established in 2010.

2015 

• Pharmacy team launches MEDS Ed, an ongoing education series featuring internal and external medical experts exploring topics relevant to clinicians caring for patients at community clinics.

2016 

• First year we’re named in Oregon Top Workplaces and 100 Best Nonprofits.

2017 

• CareOregon begins to integrate behavioral health benefits for CareOregon/Health Share, Jackson Care Connect and Columbia Pacific CCO.
• May: CareOregon acquires Housecall Providers, which provides at-home medical and hospice care for complex patients.
• We collaborate with Oregon’s nine Federally Recognized Tribes, Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) and Oregon Health Authority to form Tribal Care Coordination to provide culturally appropriate services statewide for American Indian/Alaska Native members in OHP’s fee-for-service program. Care coordination is hands-on member engagement to help OHP members with chronic or acute illnesses navigate health care options.

2019 

• We receive award notices for five-year contracts with the Oregon Health Authority for Columbia Pacific CCO, Jackson Care Connect and the Portland tri-county area’s umbrella CCO, Health Share of Oregon.
• CareOregon begins work on bringing non-emergent medical transportation (NEMT) administration in-house in 2020.

2020 

• CareOregon begins expanding telehealth options. Providers navigate the rapidly changing landscape of new technology and processes to continue delivering care to members.
• CareOregon is honored to partner with Tribes in new IMCE effort. The agreement allows us to work with Oregon Tribes interested in exploring Indian Managed Care Entities, a new federal option.
• July: CareOregon Behavioral Health engages in groundbreaking collaboration with The Alliance for Culturally Specific Behavioral Health Providers.

2021 

• A $2.5 million investment from CareOregon enabled Portland Fire & Rescue to launch Community Health Assess & Treat (CHAT) in the bureau’s new community health division. The pilot program, which aims to improve equity and access, addresses a major gap in community health.
• The company instituted employee resource groups (ERGs) and a sabbatical program, and elevated personal and professional development into a strategic initiative.

2022 

• CareOregon served as presenting partner of the Starlight Parade and marked our first year in the Grand Floral Parade.
• For the fifth year in a row, Portland Business Journal recognized CareOregon as a top philanthropic organization in Oregon in the Enterprise Category (companies with revenue at or above $100 million). Our cash contributions placed us as the state’s third-most-generous Enterprise company.

2023 

• To improve access to medications for members, CareOregon devised an innovative program in 2023. We collaborated with several pharmacy providers to install self-serve, prescription-pickup lockers throughout our service areas.

2024 

• CareOregon advances behavioral health in Oregon with Strategic Healthcare Investment for Transformation (SHIFT) initiative.
• CareOregon provides $2.5 million to launch Oregon’s only preventive medicine residency with partner OHSU.
• CareOregon announces Dr. Nathalie Johnson Scholarship and first-ever recipients.
• CareOregon and Columbia Pacific celebrate the grand opening of new Hawk’s Eye Apartments, a milestone in a collaborative effort to address the housing crisis impacting the health and well-being of people living in Northwest Oregon.