COHO Medicaid Provider Solves Child’s Health Mystery

In the face of a pandemic, the Coalition for a Healthy Oregon’s coordinated care organizations (CCOs) have been stepping up to ensure their members receive the care they need promptly and effectively

Earlier this month, the Roseburg News-Review ran a story about a toddler, Jameson Wilson, who has a chronic condition called eosinophilic esophagitis. This condition causes an allergic reaction in the esophagus and was preventing Jameson from being able to eat, as well as causing him to break out in eczema rashes. The boy’s parents tried to switch his formula and consult his doctors, but his symptoms persisted, and he was unable to keep food down.

Finally, Jameson’s mother decided to switch his care to Tasha Rutledge, a nurse practitioner at Umpqua Health-Newton Creek, a health clinic operated by COHO member Umpqua Health Alliance and offers expert pediatric and adult primary care in Douglas County. Care for Jameson was immediately approved, and Jameson was put on a treatment plan that centered around eliminating foods and most formulas.

This was a large financial burden for Jameson’s parents, until the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program helped to cover the costs. However, since Jameson would potentially have this condition for the rest of his life, long-term solutions were necessary. Rutledge also approved for Jameson to have a gastronomy tube surgically inserted into his abdomen to deliver nutrition directly into his stomach.

Because CCOs are able to tailor delivery of care to the specific needs of their community, they are able to act quickly and provide the right care at the right time. Oregon has one of the most advanced Medicaid delivery systems in the nation, and this success story is one of the many examples that show the high-quality and effective care that COHO CCOs deliver across our state.

To read all about Jameson’s journey of receiving his gastronomy tube during COVID-19, you can read the full article here.