The Lund Report | Oregon's most vital source of health news

Felisa Hagins SEIU.jpeg

Felisa Hagis is the political director of SEIU Local 49./Jessica Floum/The Lund Report

Premium

Union Seeks Crackdown On Hospital Charity Care, Staffing

Most of Oregon’s hospitals are nonprofits. They get a break on state and local taxes and in exchange, they’re supposed to provide free or discounted care to those who can’t afford it. But charity care has decreased in recent years while hospital profits have increased.

By: Jessica Floum

Mar 25 2019

Kaiser Permanente building cropped.jpg

Premium

Kaiser Shifts Plans In Lane County

Oregon’s largest commercial health insurer, Kaiser Permanente, has dropped plans to buy and develop a 20-acre parcel in Eugene, even as Kaiser continues to expand in the South Willamette Valley.

By: Christian Wihtol

Mar 26 2019

The Latest Briefs

Briefly: Clark County Measles Outbreak Up To 71 Confirmed Cases

By: Lynne Terry

Mar 14 2019

Premium

Bills Look At Expanding Oregon’s Medicaid Model By Allowing Buy-Ins

Oregon lawmakers are taking several stabs this session at increasing health insurance coverage in the state.

By: Alex Visser

Mar 20 2019

Lynne Terry/The Lund Report

Premium

Hospital Employees Seek Relief From Understaffing

Nursing assistant Amanda Newman often ends her shifts at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield in tears after struggling to meet all of her patients needs each day because there’s not enough staff.

By: Alex Visser

Mar 20 2019

Salem Hospital/Caleb Wolf/Salem Reporter

Second Measles Case Confirmed in Unvaccinated Marion County Resident

The Oregon Health Authority has confirmed a second case of measles in Marion County, health officials announced Tuesday evening.

By: Rachel Alexander

Mar 21 2019

Providence Plans Heart Transplant Program To Fill Vacuum Left By OHSU

Providence Health & Services said Thursday it will start a heart transplant program thanks in part to a $75 million gift from Phil and Penny Knight.

By: Lynne Terry

Mar 14 2019

Multnomah County Commissioner Dr. Sharon Meieran/Jessica Floum/The Lund Report

Premium

Multnomah Commissioner Sharon Meieran Driven By Oregon's Mental Health Crisis

Multnomah County Commissioner Dr. Sharon Meieran became a mental health advocate after working in emergency rooms. During shifts as a physician, she saw patients languishing in scrubs with nowhere else to go.

By: Jessica Floum

Mar 14 2019

Lynne Terry/The Lund Report

Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong

The pain radiated from the top of Annette Monachelli’s head, and it got worse when she changed positions. It didn’t feel like her usual migraine.

By: Fred Schulte and Erika Fry

Mar 18 2019

A statue outside the Oregon Capitol./Alex Visser/The Lund Report

In Partisan Split, With Opponents In Force, Vaccine Bill Passes To Next Committee

Amid partisan wrangling, the House health care committee on Thursday approved House Bill 3063 which would require children to have a medical exemption or be vaccinated to attend school. The vote, 7 to 4, followed party lines.

By: Alex Visser

Mar 14 2019

New Case Of Measles Turns Up In Marion County

Oregon now has a measles case in Marion County. It is not linked to the outbreak in Vancouver, Washington, officials said. Instead, the person contracted the disease from someone who traveled to Salem from Illinois.

By: Kristian Foden-Vencil

Mar 14 2019

Alex Visser/The Lund Report

Governor Signs Bill Authorizing Hospital, Insurance Taxes To Fund Medicaid

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday signed into law a tax that will provide funding for the state’s Medicaid plan.

By: Alex Visser

Mar 13 2019

Cambia Forges Partnership with Blue Cross of North Carolina

Two health-care giants, Cambia Health Solutions in Portland and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in Durham, announced a partnership agreement on Tuesday that’s designed to save money and spur innovation.

By: Lynne Terry

Mar 12 2019

Premium

Oregon’s New Behavioral Health Director Is An Outsider With Insider Experience

After a months-long search, the Oregon Health Authority has found a behavioral health director, a position that mental health experts and advocates say is sorely needed.

By: Jessica Floum

Mar 11 2019

Oregon Health Insurance Companies Report Big Losses In 2018

Three of Oregon’s six largest commercial health insurers reported losses in 2018, as did several dental plans and Medicaid payers even though the market was fairly stable.

By: Jessica Floum

Mar 11 2019

Jama Pediatrics

Premium

Lawmakers Aim To Fix Potentially Serious Language Problem With Medications

For people who don’t read much English, following prescription labels can be a guessing game. Those who guess wrong can end up hurt by the medication that was supposed to help them. Even worse, they can end up hospitalized.

By: Alex Visser

Mar 11 2019

David Goehring/CC by 2.0

Oregon Settles With Pfizer -- Again

Oregon has agreed to settle with the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, again over false, misleading or illegal marketing claims or promotions of its drugs.

By: Lynne Terry

Mar 11 2019

Helkimchee/CC by 2.0

Unvaccinated Boy Nearly Dies From Tetanus, Racking Up $800,000 Hospital Bill

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s revealed a 2017 case of tetanus in an unvaccinated child in Oregon. It was the first pediatric case of tetanus in the state in more than 30 years.

By: Meerah Powell

Mar 10 2019