ACEP continues to work with its Oregon chapter and the Oregon Medical Association to address the staffing situation raised at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene.
Leaders from ACEP, OR-ACEP, and the OMA met with Oregon House Majority Leader Rep. Ben Bowman and his staff on March 18 to discuss the transition of emergency department services at PeaceHealth; topics included transparency, requests for information from ApolloMD, and efforts to ensure compliance with Oregon law regarding the corporate practice of medicine.
We discussed opportunities for additional legislation in the state to further protect emergency physicians by prohibiting non-compete clauses in contracts and ensuring that emergency physicians receive the same due process as all other members of the medical staff at hospitals within the state. We also spoke with the Majority Leader about the unique nature of emergency medicine, and that frontline emergency physicians who are local to the hospital they serve are not just resources to the hospital, but to the community at large.
Our organizations will continue working with Oregon’s elected officials to promote stability in physician staffing and establish clear lines of clinical authority that prioritize emergency physicians’ ability to make clinical decisions on behalf of their patients.
ACEP and OR-ACEP also will continue to advocate for access to emergency care for all Oregonians and support efforts to ensure that emergency care is always physician-led care.
