Access & Quality

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Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford in June, 2024. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Medford nurse accused of fentanyl swap battles in civil, criminal courts

Former Asante Health nurse Dani Marie Schofield is mounting a vigorous defense after being indicted for allegedly giving 44 patients tap water instead of painkiller

Aug 13, 2024
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DEER RIDGE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION./PHOTO COURTESY OF PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP

State prison docs waited three years before fixing broken wrist, suit says

Federal lawsuit accuses the Oregon Department of Corrections of a consistent practice of denying or delaying care to people in custody, saying that “slow-playing” care causes “unnecessary pain and suffering” in violation of the U.S. Constitution

Aug 8, 2024
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An AMR ambulance at Legacy Health Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland, Ore., on July 30, 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Multnomah County to forgive $7 million in fines if AMR improves response times

Officials will relax paramedic staffing requirements in return for the private equity—owned firm's agreement to deploy more ambulances and stop violating response-time requirements

Aug 1, 2024
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The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Oregon’s landmark evidence-based coverage program is going away, but what’s next is unclear

For three decades the state has used public meetings and research to decide what services are covered under the Oregon Health Plan. Officials are deciding how to reorganize the program, but little has been shared publicly about their plans.

Jul 30, 2024
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PIXABAY

Ahmed Farag to be new Oregon dental director

Farag, a hospital system executive in New York, will oversee oral health policies affecting more than 1 million low-income Oregonians

Jul 25, 2024
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Providence Portland Medical Center. | M.O. STEVENS/CC BY 3.0/WIKIMEDIA

Providence, Legacy warn thousands of patients of possible exposure to hepatitis, HIV

A former Oregon Anesthesiology Group physician is suspected of having violated infection control standards, but so far the allegations have not been linked to any patient infections, authorities say

Jul 12, 2024

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Safety net clinic workers, including many in Multnomah County, provide needed medical care for marginalized populations, including people lacking shelter. | MULTNOMAH COUNTY/MOTOYA NAKAMURA

Washington safety net clinic chain battles for accreditation as doctors-in-training bolt

Sea Mar operates three dozen clinics, including in Vancouver, and says its medical residency program that helps train needed physicians has been decimated by a recent decision to withdraw accreditation

Jul 11, 2024
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Jonna Tallant, a longtime TMJ patient, displays a pile of medical records and billing documents at her home in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has spent a small fortune on TMJ treatment over three decades, but remains in agony and is unable to eat solid food. | BRETT KELMAN/KFF HEALTH NEWS

‘A bottomless pit’: How out-of-pocket TMJ costs drive patients into debt

Treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders, a condition that is often disabling, is typically not covered by insurance although the condition afflicts as many as 33 million Americans, most of them women.

Jul 11, 2024

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The Oregon Health Authority in Salem. | OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

New free health care program to cover about 100,000 Oregonians

New ‘OHP Bridge’ state coverage will cover people who earn too much to qualify for the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan starting July 1

Jul 1, 2024
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SHUTTERSTOCK

State needs to spend $850 million on behavioral health beds over five years, report says

Inpatient psychiatric care gaps fuel racial and geographic disparities, according to an OHA-contracted study

Jul 1, 2024