Ben Botkin

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon agrees to a record $1.4 billion in public health settlements in 2022

Opioid settlements agreed to in 2022 will pay out over the next 18 years.

Dec 27, 2022

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon reaches $173 million settlement with pharmacy companies in opioid lawsuit

The money will go toward addiction prevention and treatment efforts in Oregon.

Dec 13, 2022

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OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY’S DOERNBECHER CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IS SWAMPED WITH PATIENTS WITH A RESPIRATORY INFECTION./CHRISTINE TORRES-HICKS/OHSU VIA OREGON CAPITAL CHRONICLE

Oregon Health Authority Bringing In Dozens Of Contract Nurses For Children’s Hospitals

The Oregon Health Authority is bringing in 112 out-of-state registered nurses and respiratory therapists to help the state’s two largest children’s hospitals.

Dec 3, 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

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Shown in 2014, former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, a former emergency room physician, helped created the state's innovative Medicaid program known as the Oregon Health Plan. | CC BY SA 2.0

Kitzhaber: Ballot Measure 111 Falls Short Of Oregon’s Needs

Former governor says a more comprehensive approach is needed that includes reforms, tackling root causes of poor health.

Oct 20, 2022
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Amid Heightened Medicare Fraud Concerns, State Consumer Hotline Program Helps

Oregon program received more than 700 reports of fraud or marketing scams in 2021.

Oct 19, 2022
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NATALIA MERZLYAKOVA/FOTOLIA

Oregon's Constitutional Amendment For Affordable Health Care Sparks Debate

Critics of Measure 111 raise concerns about new right to sue over care as supporters downplay the fears.

Oct 18, 2022

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Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. | M.O. STEVENS/WIKIMEDIA

Oregon Department of Justice Opens Investigation Into Providence Health

The move puts the state’s largest health provider under widening scrutiny for its practices of billing and collecting from patients.

Oct 17, 2022
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Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state public health official, speaks at an Oct. 13, 2022 press conference held online./Screenshot

Oregon Health Officials Urge Caution As Fall Flu Season Approaches

COVID-19 boosters approved for children age 5 to 11 this week.

Oct 13, 2022
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Providence Milwaukie Hospital. | PROVIDENCE HEALTH & SERVICES

SEIU Questions Hospital Billing Practices 

The union representing health care workers says hospitals throughout Oregon fail to comply with state laws for charity and billing.

Oct 12, 2022
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