Coordinated Care Oklahoma dissolving

Posted on: 1/11/17

Since 2014, Coordinated Care Oklahoma (CCO) has represented Oklahoma as one of the premier Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) in the nation. However, in the interests of the state, providers, health systems and patients, CCO has voted unanimously to dissolve the organization effective June 30, 2017.

“We’ve been able to accomplish a lot of great things for our patients, providers, and hospitals; but the landscape has changed. The power of health care is in its data, and our board recognizes that one of the largest payers in Oklahoma has mandated that its contracted providers must submit data to another HIE platform for their use in value-based contracting programs. That decision creates a hardship on many of Oklahoma’s providers and hospitals and has resulted in duplicative HIE costs for many who were members of CCO,” said Roger L. Neal, chairman of the board for Coordinated Care Oklahoma.  “While CCO has tried numerous times to discuss options with the payer for providing the data needed for these programs, we to date have no meeting to discuss our participation. As well, our understanding is that no connection or option outside direct data submission would give CCO’s participants the opportunity to continue in the payer’s value-based programs. With the growing rate at which Oklahoma providers and hospitals are having reimbursements cut, we felt the best thing for Oklahoma was for CCO to exit the HIE market to help decrease the cost of health care and reduce the politics around HIE service within the state.”

Over the next several weeks, CCO will be in contact with its members and will provide assistance with ensuring that the critical public service of data sharing can continue to persist for its member organizations.