patient care

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This Oregon Medical Group clinic in Eugene is one of several primary care businesses bought in Oregon in recent years by UnitedHealth's Optum Health Division. | CHRISTIAN WIHTOL/THE LUND REPORT

What Will UnitedHealth’s New Trove Of Claims Data Mean For Consumers?

UnitedHealth, which has been expanding in Oregon, is under scrutiny over issues that include its data practices.

Nov 17, 2022

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Hospices Have Become Big Business For Private Equity Firms, Raising Concerns About End-of-Life Care

Two-thirds of hospices, once primarily run by nonprofit entities, are now for-profit — and they are increasingly a target for private equity firms.

Jul 30, 2022

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A MARCH 2019 FILE PHOTO FROM THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT ST. CHARLES HOSPITAL IN BEND, ORE. ST. CHARLES HEALTH IS RATIONING CARE AMID STAFFING SHORTAGES./EMILY CURETON/OPB

Central Oregon’s St. Charles Lays Off 2 Top Executives As Patients Face Rationed Care

Medical providers at the region’s only hospital system now must scrutinize patient admissions and at times discharge people “uncomfortably early.”

Jul 17, 2022

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SABINE VAN ERP/PIXABAY

Medicaid Weighs Attaching Strings To Nursing Home Payments To Improve Patient Care

Laws passed in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York to mandate nursing home spending on care have sparked federal interest in the idea.

Jun 11, 2022

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Nurses and others gathered in downtown Oregon City on May 11, 2022 for an informational picket about contract negotiations with Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center. | COURTESY OREGON NURSES ASSOCIATION

Strike Votes Commence At 2 Providence Hospitals 

Nurses will vote between May 23 and June 2 on possible strikes at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center and Providence Milwaukie Hospital.

May 24, 2022
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3D rendering of the omicron variant of COVID-19. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Health Care Workers Brace For The Worst As Omicron Projections Change

Though an Oregon omicron forecast has improved, the impact on hospitals still could exceed the pandemic’s worst point.

Dec 28, 2021
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KAISER HEALTH NEWS

‘Letters Of Protection’ For Injured Patients Can Mean Huge Medical Bills

So-caled letters of protection can saddle patients with medical debt — and drive a personal injury care system that operates with little oversight despite widespread complaints of grossly inflated billings and other problems that can place patients at risk.

Dec 21, 2021