Wyandotte Nation medical official: Oklahoma is entering a new era of health care
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Under the direction of Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is partnering with physicians and private health care companies to offer SoonerSelect Medicaid recipients a choice in who provides their care.
These new programs were wisely directed to be led by Oklahoma providers such as physicians, mental health workers, people experienced with our foster care and child welfare programs, representatives from our medical training programs, and Tribal/Indian Health Services — all professionals who have experience caring for Oklahoma’s large Medicaid population.
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The programs were designed to keep Oklahoma tax dollars in our state, including increased reimbursements for hospitals that provide care to Medicaid recipients. This will help strengthen our state hospital network, especially in rural areas with a large percentage of Medicaid patients.
The contracts have just been awarded under a competitive bidding process to ensure each provider-led entity meets the criteria set by the Legislature, the governor and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. Pending approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the “go-live” date is April of next year, as it takes some time to get the provider network of physicians in place and gives time for Medicaid members to learn about the new provider-led entities.
By increasing the number of providers participating in Oklahoma Medicaid, this new program should increase access to health care in a more timely manner, and make it easier for members to receive needed referrals for care by a medical or mental health specialist. Bringing various providers together under these provider-led entities should benefit all Oklahomans.
I’m excited as we enter this new era of health care, which will address some of our state’s most pressing health-related challenges. By focusing not only on the treatment of diseases but also on preventative care, we are on our way to making our state a “top 10 state” in health care services, in line with Gov. Stitt’s vision of Oklahoma’s future.
Dr. Doug Cox is a practicing physician, the medical director for the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, and co-chair of the Aetna provider-led entity.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New program should increase health care access, make referrals easier
