The Health Evidence Review Commission reviews clinical evidence in order to guide the
Oregon Health Authority in making benefit-related decisions for its health plans.
Its main products are the
Prioritized List of Health Services (searchable tool), used by the legislature to guide funding decisions for the
Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid), and
evidence-based reports on specific topics of interest to Oregon health payers and providers as well as members of the public.
The Commission consists of
13 governor-appointed and senate-confirmed volunteer members including five physician representatives (one of whom must be a doctor of osteopathy and another a hospital representative), a dentist, a public health nurse, a behavioral health representative, a provider of complementary and alternative medicine, a retail pharmacist, an insurance industry representative and two consumer representatives.
When the HERC was created during the 2011 Legislative session, it combined two previously existing commissions, the Health Services Commission and Health Resources Commission. HERC continues two decades of work, as both of the original commissions began their work in the early 1990s at the start of the Oregon Health Plan.
Charge to the Commission
The Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) shall:
- Develop and maintain a list of health services ranked by priority, from the most important to the least important, representing the comparative benefits of each service to the population to be served
- Develop or identify and shall disseminate evidence-based health care guidelines for use by providers, consumers and purchasers of health care in Oregon
- Conduct comparative effectiveness research of health technologies
Methodology and Standards:
The VbBS, EbGS and HERC meetings often involve reviewing evidence and stakeholder input that includes medical acronyms, abbreviated data sources, and professional jargon. For new and all comers, we developed a Glossary of Terms and Acronyms that are frequently used in our meetings. If you have a suggested glossary item, please email herc.info@oha.oregon.gov.