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 March Doctors crushed under malpractice rate hikes Malpractice insurance premiums are rising like a bad fever, and doctors are feeling the pain. Patients may be the epidemic's next victim. The September 11 terrorist attacks sent a shock wave through the insurance market. Eager to recover the estimated $50 to $70 billion they'll pay out, carriers are dropping risky lines of business, and medical malpractice is first on the list. Simmons stops OHP expansion When Governor John Kitzhaber announced his latest round of budget cuts on March 13, he was asked about the prospects of the Oregon Health Plan expansion. His administration had hoped to submit the federal waivers earlier this year. "You'll have to address that to the legislative leadership," Kitzhaber told Oregon Health Forum. Governor lashes out at drug plan critic Bizarre bedfellows they may be, but Governor Kitzhaber is sure Bob Joondeph, Oregon Advocacy Center's executive director, is in cahoots with PhRMA to sink the state's drug plan. And it's got his blood pressure rising. Joondeph sent the governor a letter reminding him the legislature didn't pass a restrictive drug formulary. Luther strikes a nerve It didn't have the effect of the 95 Theses nailed to the door post by Martin Luther, but Dr. Doug Luther's article in the Oregon Psychiatric Association's February newsletter has sent a shock wave through patient advocates and mental health professionals alike. The OPA president's treatise questioned the logic of ramping up outpatient care to keep patients out of the hospital and turned a critical eye on the patients themselves. As the Multnomah County turns Things are looking up for Multnomah County's mental health system. Emergency room utilization is falling as walk-in clinics ramp up, and outpatient providers are preparing to sign new Verity contracts. But behind the silvery lining lies dark clouds of staff backbiting and a quaking financial foundation. Client beats OMIP Lorin Hawley thought controlling his severe depression was difficult enough. Then in late 2000, the 46-year-old Eugene resident opened a letter from the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. Talking with Bev Stein: Q and A Beverly Stein has never lost an election, and she doesn't plan to start now. She likes to separate herself from the pack at every opportunity, and calls herself the only candidate who has experience running a large government when she was Multnomah County chair. Clad in bright colors, she was wide-eyed and talkative at an early morning interview with Oregon Health Forum reporter Rory Carroll. She was confident and cautious with her answers, which were accompanied by a wealth of hand gestures. Charity care in decline while hospital bottom lines grow While hospital bottom lines continue to grow - thanks in part to the Oregon Health Plan - the charity care they provide has been steadily declining since 1996. In 2000, hospitals dedicated just one percent of their patient revenue towards caring for the state's most needy. Gross patient revenue was nearly $2 billion more in 2000 than in 1996, while charity care declined by 22 percent over the same time period. Also in this issue...
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