Given Oregon’s less-than-smooth rollout of its health care exchange, many residents are unable to purchase health insurance. As state employees continue processing paper applications before the March 31 deadline, some people will have to pay out-of-pocket while they wait. As a result, Oregonians need to know where to receive the most affordable treatment.
NerdWallet Health built a Best Hospitals tool to help patients investigate the cost of hospital care in their local areas. Using this data, we analyzed the 100 most common treatments at 32 hospitals in Oregon to find the most affordable hospitals. We asked the following questions:
1) Which Oregon hospitals offer the highest number of affordable treatments, and where are they located?
2) What are these treatments?
3) How satisfied are patients of these hospitals?
The Most Affordable Hospitals in Oregon
1. Providence Portland Medical Center—Portland, Ore.
Ranked the third-best hospital in Oregon by U.S. News & World Report, Providence Portland Medical Center was also designated as high-performing in seven adult specialties, including cancer, geriatrics and gynecology. The 483-bed hospital is part of Providence Health & Services, a nonprofit network of hospitals, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health services and affiliated health services. Providence Portland offers its patients affordable care for emphysema and hernias, as well as programs targeting behavioral health, heart health, rehabilitation services and orthopedics. Its imaging team is accredited through the American College of Radiology, and the hospital as a whole has a 79% patient satisfaction rating.
2. Providence Saint Vincent Medical Center—Portland, Ore.
Also part of Providence Health & Services, this 523-bed hospital boasts of having the world’s most advanced operating room suite for brain tumors. It delivers the most babies in Oregon: 1 out of 7 babies born in the state is delivered at Providence Saint Vincent. It provides affordable care in hip replacement and drug poisoning, and has a patient satisfaction rating of 78%. U.S. News ranks it fifth among Oregon hospitals and designates it high-performing in five adult specialties, including urology and gynecology. Others areas of focus include heart and vascular health, brain and spine injuries and maternity care.
3. Salem Hospital—Salem, Ore.
This nonprofit hospital is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for 2014 from HealthGrades, Magnet designation for excellence in nursing and multiple citations for its breast center. It also has a 77% rating in patient satisfaction. As an acute care facility, Salem has the busiest emergency department in Oregon and provides affordable care for appendicitis and kidney damage. Its 3,900 employees make it the largest private employer in the city. Salem is designated by U.S. News as high-performing in gastroenterology & GI surgery and pulmonology, and is ranked ninth overall in Oregon.
4. Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend—Springfield, Ore.
This facility opened in 2008 as a second hospital campus along with the Sacred Heart Medical Center at University District. It includes a hyperbaric center for advanced wound care, a stroke center and a neonatal intensive care unit, and it recently broke ground on a behavioral health services unit. With a 79% patient satisfaction rating, Sacred Heart offers affordable care for disk surgery and gall bladder removal. U.S. News ranks it the seventh-best hospital in Oregon and designates it as high-performing in diabetes and endocrinology, gynecology and pulmonology. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program also recognized Sacred Heart for meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care for 2012.
5. Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center—Clackamas, Ore.
With affordable treatments for internal bleeding and congestive heart failure, the Sunnyside Medical Center is Kaiser Permanente’s regional center for adult cancer care, neurosurgery and most non-emergency inpatient surgeries. It also houses Kaiser’s center for heart and vascular care. Sunnyside opened in 1975, expanded in 1983 and 2007 and is now the largest hospital in Clackamas County with 329 beds. U.S. News puts it ninth in the state and designates it as high-performing in orthopedics and pulmonology. Sunnyside also has a 76% patient satisfaction rating.
6. Providence Milwaukie Hospital—Milwaukie, Ore.
Providence Milwaukie Hospital is another part of Providence Health & Services, concentrating on providing preventative services and offering affordable treatments for emphysema and pneumonia. There’s also a brain and spine Institute, a cancer center and a heart and vascular institute. Providence Milwaukie’s imaging team is accredited through the American College of Radiology in breast MRI, and the hospital has a patient satisfaction rating of 77%.
7. Adventist Medical Center—Portland, Ore.
One of only three hospitals in Oregon accredited as a chest pain center, Adventist is also a Joint Commission certified stroke center. The 302-bed community hospital provides inpatient, outpatient, emergency and diagnostic services to more than 900,000 residents in and around East Portland. It boasts Oregon’s largest private hospital inpatient behavioral health unit, as well as its Family Birth Place, procedures using the da Vinci surgical robot and an orthopedic center that offers minimally invasive surgical options. Along with affordable care for stroke and tuberculosis, Adventist prides itself on its services for appendectomy, back and neck surgery, carotid surgery and peripheral vascular bypass. It has a 73% patient satisfaction rating.
8. Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center—Tualatin, Ore.
With a high patient satisfaction rating of 80%, Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center offers affordable treatments for shingles and severe heartburn. Founded in 1973 as a community hospital, it is now offers the same level of care of a full-service hospital. Legacy Meridian’s new chest pain center was awarded the Joint Commission’s first gold seal of approval in the country for high quality and safety in disease-specific care. It also features excellent stroke care and expertise in neurology, a breast health center accredited as a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiologists, a family birth center and emergency care.
9. OHSU Hospital And Clinics—Portland, Ore.
The Oregon Health & Science University Hospital was the top-ranked hospital in Oregon, according to U.S. News. It is ranked nationally in five adult and eight pediatric specialties and is designated as high-performing in seven adult specialties. The 572-bed hospital boasts a patient satisfaction rating of 80% and provides affordable treatment for heart pacemaker implantation and heart rhythm disorder. It is the only academic health center in Oregon and the only place in the state where patients can receive bone-marrow transplants. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center between Sacramento and Seattle, and the hospital is one of two designated Level I trauma centers in the state.
10. Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center—Portland, Ore.
Founded in 1875 by the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, the Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center specializes in cancer care, eye disease, heart and vascular care, rehabilitation, weight management and kidney transplants. Patients here can also find affordable care for angioplasty and sepsis. The hospital is ranked second in the state by U.S News and is designated as high-performing in 10 adult specialties, including cancer and nephrology. With a 78% patient satisfaction rating, Legacy Good Samaritan also earned the Joint Commission’s gold seal for 12 programs, and was the first hospital in the country to receive six gold seals for heart care.
Ranking Hospital Name Location Most Affordable for Common Diagnoses/Treatments Such As: Patient satisfaction 1 Providence Portland Medical Center Portland Emphysema, hernia 79% 2 Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Portland Hip replacement, drug poisoning 78% 3 Salem Hospital Salem Apendicitis, kidney damage 77% 4 Sacred Heart Medical Center—Riverbend Springfield Disk surgery, gall bladder removal 79% 5 Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Clackamas Internal bleeding, congestive heart failure 76% 6 Providence Milwaukie Hospital Milwaukie Emphysema, pneumonia 77% 7 Adventist Medical Center Portland Stroke, tuberculosis 73% 8 Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center Tualatin Shingles, severe heartburn 80% 9 OHSU Hospital and Clinics Portland Heart pacemaker implantation, heart rhythm disorder 80% 10 Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center Portland Angioplasty, sepsis 78%
Methodology:
Affordability: Using CMS Medicare Provider Charge Data, we calculated which of 32 hospitals in Oregon has the lowest price for each of the 100 most common medical procedures. We then summed the number of times that each hospital had the lowest price and ranked based on which hospitals had the highest number. The data are for services billed for Medicare patients.
Procedures/diagnoses: For the procedures that each hospital was least expensive, we presented the most commonly known.
Patient satisfaction: Patient satisfaction rates were obtained from HCAHPS, a nationally administered survey on patient satisfaction. “Satisfied” was taken to be patients who reported, “I would definitely recommend this hospital” on this survey.
Hospital characteristics: Individual hospital websites and U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals.
Oregon flag photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
