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OHSU Hospital on Marquam Hill. | LYNNE TERRY/THE LUND REPORT

After a Stillbirth, an Autopsy Can Provide Answers. Too Few of Them Are Being Performed

For Dr. Karen Gibbins, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Oregon Health & Science University, her son’s death in her 27th week of pregnancy sparked questions only an autopsy could answer.

Nov 29, 2022

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Endgame: How The Visionary Hospice Movement Became A For-Profit Hustle

For-profit companies can exploit the way Medicare has designed the hospice benefit, which rewards providers for recruiting patients who aren’t imminently dying.

Nov 29, 2022

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Opinion: Oregon’s Coverage Plan Should Go Further For More People

Advocates for affordable health care say the state’s plan for expanding Medicaid should include similar coverage for all Oregonians.

Nov 29, 2022
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“It’s hard to not be negative about this,” said Joel Fogarty, a critical care nurse at Providence Portland Medical Center who has worked at the provider for 11 years. | COURTESY OF JOEL FOGARTY

Nurses Union Wants Criminal Probe Over Providence’s Faulty Paycheck System

A spokesperson for Multnomah County noted that the office typically does not do investigations, instead filing charges based on other agencies' investigative work.

Nov 28, 2022
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Long-Running Case Involving Defendants And The Oregon State Hospital Back In Court

District attorneys are unhappy with a judge's order to discharge Oregon State Hospital patients within a certain timeline, as are hospitals that treat people for psychiatric conditions.

Nov 23, 2022

As respiratory illnesses cause increasing strain on hospitals in Oregon and Washington, PeaceHealth officials are telling people not to come to the emergency room at Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver if at all possible. | COURTESY OF PEACEHEALTH

PeaceHealth Officials Urge Patients To Avoid ER In Vancouver As Oregon Officials Issue New Alert

As hospitals in Oregon and Washington cope with a new capacity crisis fueled by respiratory illnesses, Oregon officials are urging new precautions.

Nov 23, 2022

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Audits — Hidden Until Now — Reveal Millions In Medicare Advantage Overcharges

Government audits uncovered about $12 million in net overpayments for the care of 18,090 patients sampled, though the actual losses to taxpayers are likely much higher.

Nov 22, 2022

CVS’ AT-HOME TESTS THAT SCREEN FOR HIV AND OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS CAN BE BOUGHT IN STORES AND ONLINE. THE KIT IS PRICED AT $99.99./ERIC HARKLEROAD/ KHN

As STDs Proliferate, Companies Rush To Market At-Home Test Kits. But Are They Reliable?

The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved STD test kits for use outside a medical setting, but their at-home use is growing dramatically.

Nov 22, 2022

JACQUELINE LEWIS LOST SON SHAUN LEWIS TO AN OVERDOSE IN OCTOBER 2022. SHE’S NOW RAISING HER 7-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER, WHILE CARING FOR HER 95-YEAR-OLD MOTHER WHO HAS DEMENTIA, ON NOTHING MORE THAN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS./MADDIE MCGARVEY/KHN

Schools, Sheriffs, And Syringes: State Plans Vary For Spending $26B In Opioid Settlement Funds

Funds from a national settement are creating an unprecedented opportunity to make progress against an epidemic that has ravaged America for three decades, experts say — but also strife.

Nov 22, 2022