News

Contact: Maria Ramirez

As a managed care organization that services the Medicaid and Medicare population in Klamath County, the wellbeing of our members, staff, providers and community partners has always been and will continue to be our top priority. For over 28 years, we have lived by our mission of building a healthy community for the population we serve. This guiding principle will endure us as we face an unprecedented challenge of responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people and families who have been affected by this difficult and unprecedented event.

With the ongoing spread of COVID-19, things are changing around us daily. Out of an abundance of caution, we have modified our operations and the way we do business to protect our members, staff, providers, and community partners to help flatten the curve by hopefully slowing down the spread of the virus. As part of the guidelines provided by the Oregon Health Authority, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Klamath County Public Health, we are implementing social distancing restrictions for our office.

We will continue to work around the clock to ensure our members receive high-quality healthcare and customer service.

As part of our operational changes, we are implementing the below business modifications until further notice:

• Limited Lobby Access: Our doors will remain locked to all outside visitors to maintain social distancing protocols. The locked door protocol requires that all external and internal committee meetings hosted at CHA will be cancelled or hosted over conference calls. CHA will continue to offer customer service between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm by phone call only. Members requesting a new Member Handbook or wishing to submit a complaint are asked to call us at 541-883-2947. New Member Handbooks can be found online.
• Prescription Refills: In response to the COVID-19, CHA will allow an early refill of your daily medications, if needed. Pain medications are not allowed. CHA covers 90-day supply of many long-term medications. We encourage all members to review the list of medications covered under CHA’s 90-day supply and consult with your doctor or pharmacy to request a change.
• Diabetic Supplies: CHA offers free diabetic supplies from our office and has staff trained to teach you to manage your diabetes. All members in need of refills, new diabetic supplies, or have questions, please contact us at: 541.883.2947. CHA will arrange delivery of supplies to your doorstep and provide coaching over the phone, if needed.
• Case Management and Medical Authorization Services: CHA is committed to the medical management services we provide. CHA will continue to review provider authorizations and provide General Case Management, Maternal Case Management, Intensive Care Management, and Behavioral Health Case Management. All CHA case management will be completed through virtual communication.
• Community Advisory Council (CAC): CHA’s CAC is an important part of CHA’s work to improve our members’ experience and increase health outcomes in our community. CAC meetings are open to the public and typically occur on the third Wednesday of every month. All CAC meetings will be phone conference only, until further notice. For call-in information to CAC meetings, please contact member services at 541.883.2947. Additional information.
• Communication: While practicing social distancing, CHA is committed to ensuring our members, providers and community partners are informed about COVID-19 and the constant changes occurring around us. If you are a member of CHA and wish to receive the additional information, please contact us at info@cascadecomp.com to be included on our text outreach service.

For additional resources, please visit these websites:

• The following website provides daily updated information on COVID-19: http://www.klamathcounty.org/1041/2019-Coronavirus
• The Oregon Health Authority at https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Pages/emergingrespiratory-
  infections.aspx, maps the current spread of the virus in Oregon.
• The federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has important information at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/casesupdates/
  summary.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fsummary.html

Thank you for your support and patience. We will keep you updated should things change.

Sincerely,
Tayo Akins
President & CEO