Overview of the legislation
The Oregon Common Credentialing Program (OCCP) was established under Senate Bill 604 from the 2013 Regular Legislative Session. In July 2015, the Oregon State Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 594 allowing flexibility in the operational date of the program. These two bills were in response to issues involving administrative reporting burdens health care practitioners experience in the credentialing process and the duplicative work done by credentialing organizations to collect and verify this information.
Under SB 604, health care practitioners or their designees would be required to submit necessary credentialing information into a common credentialing solution and credentialing organizations will be required to use the solution to obtain that information. This legislation was sponsored by Senators Alan Bates and Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward, both practicing physicians. It was also supported by the Oregon Medical Association, the Oregon Association for Hospitals and Health Systems, and the Oregon Health Leadership Council among others. Given the complexity of the program and that the procurement process has taken more time than anticipated, flexibility in the operational date was needed. This led to SB 594 which allows OHA to establish an operational date via administrative rule with the expectation that stakeholders be given at least six months' notice in advance of that date.
Effective July 25, 2018, OHA suspended work on the program. In 2021, OCCP was officially ended through a repeal of the original legislation via House Bill 2078.
Legislative Requirements
Note: SB 604 and SB 594 are codified in Oregon Revised Statute 441.223.
Senate Bill 604
- Establish a program and database to provide credentialing organizations access to credentialing information
- Convene an advisory group to advise OHA
- Develop rules on submittals, verifications, and fees
- Issue an RFI to seek input from potential contractors on capabilities and cost structures associated with the scope of work required to establish and maintain the electronic system
- Report to the Legislature on implementation progress in 2014 and 2015
Senate Bill 594
- OHA to establish implementation date by rule, with at least six months’ notice
- Report to the Legislature on implementation progress in 2016
Oregon Administrative Rules
In 2014, the Oregon Health Authority worked with stakeholders to develop Oregon Administrative Rule 409-045-0025 through 409-014-0135 which established the Oregon Common Credentialing Program. In July 2018, program rules were updated. Following the conclusion of the Common Credentialing Program, OHA amended or repealed all Oregon Administrative Rules related to OCCP in 2021.
Administrative rules (OAR 409-045) - effective July 1, 2018
Reports
Last updated January 23, 2023