Supporting Meaningful Engagement through Community Advisory Councils

This case study is co-published with Community Catalyst.

Abstract

There is growing consensus that person-centered, value-driven health care delivery includes consumers as equal partners in all aspects of decision-making about their health care. State agencies and health care systems are increasingly seeing the value in engaging consumers not only in direct patient care, but also to guide organizational decisions about that care to drive progress on improving health outcomes and stabilizing health costs. Oregon has made substantial investments in this type of engagement. About a decade ago,the state embarked on an ambitious transformation initiative that established coordinated care organizations (CCOs), local networks of health care providers that receive a global budget to serve Oregon Health Plan (OHP)/Medicaid enrollees. The legislation that created CCOs also required these networks to create at least one community advisory council (CAC) to integrate community and OHP member voices in their work. Since the law’s passage, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), which oversees OHP, has devoted significant time and  resources to these councils. This case study takes a look at what has made CACs, and the resulting consumer engagement, so successful. Key takeaways include: devoting state-level staff and financial resources to the program; creating strong lines of communication between OHA, CCOs, and CACs; and providing opportunities, including in-person events, for councils to learn from one another.

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