Reports of systemic racism have prompted action and recent headlines out of Multnomah County, but at Oregon Health & Science University a similar set of concerns has drawn less public attention.
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Dr. Brian Gibbs, the director of its Center for Diversity and Inclusion, says “unconscious bias” lies at the root of the problem.
Oct 4 2017
The hospital performed more than 12 percent of U.S. gender-affirming surgeries in 2016, Joe Robertson told OHSU Board of Trustees. Now it has turned its attention to restrooms.
Oregon Health & Science University is doubling down on efforts to be welcoming for transgender patients, employees and students, both as a campus and a provider of medical services, OHSU President Joe Robertson said on Thursday.
Sep 29 2017
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President Trump has decried PhRMA, accusing the drug companies of “getting away with murder,” but so far Congress has taken only baby steps to the problem of surging drug costs, passing a provision from Rep. Kurt Schrader to ease the approval of generic competition to so-called “orphan drugs.” Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, plans to introduce legislation that will require pharmaceutical companies to provide state regulators with detailed explanations of price hikes and their products’ effects on healthcare costs, mirroring a California state law enacted earlier this month. Oct 17 2017 |
Petitioners and their opponents are going to the state Supreme Court over the ballot language. If the referendum is defeated, some insurance rates could rise and the state could lose millions in federal Medicaid dollars. Opponents to the grand compromise hospital and insurance tax legislation on which the state has balanced its Oregon Health Plan budget said this week that their referendum has qualified for a statewide Jan. 23 special election vote. Oct 18 2017 |
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Meanwhile, the board voted to scale back increases for other non-contracted providers rather than shift cost for these services to state workers. After meeting tight budget restraints for several years, PEBB saw costs soar in 2016 to 7 percent. State workers will soon have to pay more for going to a hospital outside their health insurance network, but the Public Employee Benefit Board voted Tuesday to avert increases in coinsurance fees for other non-contracted providers. Oct 17 2017 |
After nearly two months of negotiations, key senators said Tuesday they have reached a bipartisan deal on a proposal intended to stabilize the Affordable Care Act’s insurance market, which has been rocked by recent actions by President Donald Trump. Oct 17 2017 |
 President Trump has cut off funding for money that helps lower-income people pay for their healthcare at time of service, calling the payments a bailout to health insurers. However, his move will actually cost the feds nearly $200 billion more than just making the the payments. Oregon insurance officials announced Friday that they will jack up premiums for silver-rated individual health plans an additional 7.1 percent, roughly doubling the rate increase for these 2018 plans compared to 2017 plans. Oct 13 2017 |
A referendum from a group of Oregon House Republicans to repeal the tax funding package for Medicaid has given Rep. Knute Buehler an opening to debate the governing Democrats on healthcare, but it has infuriated the healthcare industry that relies on that funding to do business. Rep. Oct 12 2017 |
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A federal investigation into the failed health insurance plan continues, but the Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Services has closed its investigation. The founders of Zoom Health Plan have reached a settlement agreement with state insurance regulators, agreeing to pay fines while avoiding criminal liability after getting into hot water over their failed health plan – though a federal investigation appears to still be ongoing. Oct 12 2017 |
Come check out our great jobs from Bend Hernia Center, Outside In, White Bird Medical Clinic, South Lane Mental Health, and more. The health of people, ecosystems, and the planet cannot be effectively addressed in silos. Health In Harmony is a planetary health organization that helps communities have the resources they need, so they do not need to destroy their ecosystems to survive. Oct 17 2017 |
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Just four hours earlier, Sallie Cutler had been sharing Mother’s Day lunch with her mom, Alyce Cheatham. Then, that same evening, Cheatham, 96, landed in a Portland, Ore., emergency room, lethargic, unable to speak and paralyzed on her right side by a massive stroke. Oct 11 2017 |
Paul Melquist of St. Paul, Minn., has a message for the people who wrote the Affordable Care Act: “Quit wrecking my health care.” Teri Goodrich, of Raleigh, N.C., has the same complaint. “We’re getting slammed. We didn’t budget for this,” she said. Oct 11 2017 |
 Wednesday's Oregon Health Forum breakfast, which looked at drug pricing, revealed the complexity of the issue – and the political will necessary to enact any changes. Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, consumers, drug-management plans and a big health insurer gathered on Wednesday at Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club, along with an academic and a politician, to try to determine who’s responsible for high pharmaceutical costs, with predictable res Sep 29 2017 |
Oregon ranks 4th in the country for opioid use but ranks 51st in the nation in access to treatment for the 10 percent of Oregonians with untreated addiction problems. What needs to happen to fix Oregon’s addiction services system and develop a coherent public policy approach? Oct 11 2017 |
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A lack of data has led to funding cuts for some programs that otherwise might support these individuals, while others -- such as OHSU -- seek to boost their offerings. In her 31 years, Willow Paloma has had many identities: train-hopping hobo, Buddhist, activist, herbalist, self-described “crusty punk” and “queer separatist.” But one part of her identity never changed, even while raised as a male. She’s female. Oct 6 2017 |
Opponents of a recent Oregon bill to fund healthcare through a new tax submitted signatures Thursday to get a referendum against the tax on the ballot. Oct 6 2017 |
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State officials say they’re hopeful Congress will act before Children’s Health Insurance Program funds dry up, but there’s little hope for improvements to the federally run individual insurance marketplace. Federal gridlock in Congress and the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care have, together, put tens of thousands of Oregon children’s health coverage at risk and made it more difficult for adults to purchase insurance for themselves and their families, leaving state offi Oct 4 2017 |
Dental health aide therapists are trained to cover 50 procedures that a full dentist can do, helping poorly served native communities increase access. But the dental system in general is plagued by an approach that triages the symptoms of disease rather than preventing and eradicating tooth infections. Oregon’s Indian tribes are testing a new mid-level dental provider -- a dental health aide therapist -- to close gaps to access that have long plagued the native community. Sep 29 2017 |
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Democrats balanced Oregon’s 2017-2019 budget on the backs of disabled kids; starting next summer, the state will stop allowing most children to enroll in a program that provides supports that often keeps parents from placing their children in residential care. Under pressure from legislators to cut costs, the Department of Human Services outlined a plan Tuesday that will seek federal permission to close the door on children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, cutting off a program to receive in-home supports unless their families are in o Sep 20 2017 |
Funds would underwrite website improvements, bolster strength of independent news site’s hard-hitting journalism. When you think about where to find the most provocative news about Oregon’s healthcare industry, look no further than The Lund Report. Sep 20 2017 |