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 July Legacy doctors question Pallari’s leadership Over 100 Legacy physicians have signed petitions expressing a vote of no confidence with Robert Pallari, president and CEO of Legacy Health System, because of problems with his job performance. There is a “widespread feeling of the lack of communication and trust between the medical staff and Legacy administration,” according to a memo sent by Dr. Franklin Wong, Legacy Portland medical staff president to physicians in June that was obtained by Oregon Health Forum. Providence waits for ruling from planning commission The Hillsboro City Council could have the final say on whether Providence Health System can build a hospital a few miles away from Tuality Community Hospital because an appeal is likely — no matter what decision is reached by the Planning Commission. Providence is attempting to gain approval for a concept development plan to build a 104-bed hospital, charter school and medical office building within sniffing distance of Tuality. At a July 9 public hearing, the Planning Commission came within inches of making a decision but was persuaded by Providence’s attorney to give him additional time to prepare final arguments. PEBB cheered, then jeered When the Public Employees’ Benefit Board announced the cost of providing health insurance for the state’s 44,550 employees would only increase by 9 percent in 2004, state officials cheered. When compared with the 18 percent increase that Mercer Human Resource Consulting predicts for large employers in 2003, PEBB seems to provide an unbelievable bargain. But could the state have gotten benefits even cheaper? It’ll never be known, because PEBB didn’t issue a request for proposals; it simply renewed its existing contracts. OHSU embraces expansion project You wouldn’t build a new garage on your house if you couldn’t afford the mortgage. So some are scratching their heads at a decision by Oregon Health & Science University’s ambitious expansion into Portland’s South Waterfront district, which will cost between $500 million and $1 billion over the next 20 years. The river front campus will be linked to Marquam Hill by a $15.5 million ariel tram, $9 million of which will be paid by OHSU. All this comes at the same time Portland’s largest employer is laying off workers and refusing to take new Medicaid patients. Governor flexes his veto muscle If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s the reasoning behind Governor Kulongoski’s veto of House Bill 3508, which would have stripped the Department of Human Services of its authority to certify and train dental assistants in X-ray technology. The oversight would have been shifted to the Oregon Board of Dentistry, which was expected to pare down some of DHS’ requirements for certification. “I believe this would be an unwise policy shift,” Kulongoski wrote in a letter to Speaker Karen Minnis. “The Department of Human Services had considerable experience in radiation safety and its responsibility in this important area should not be diminished.” Since 1977, when dental operator training formally began under DHS, radiation exposure has dropped 75 percent. The bell Tolles Dr. Susan Tolle, director of Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Ethics and Health Care, has been in the media spotlight after weighing in on a proposed kidney transplant for a death row inmate, culminating in an appearance on ABC’s Nightline. She spoke with Oregon Health Forum Associate Editor Rory Carroll about pain management for the elderly, the overlooked shortage of primary care physicians and her controversial comments in The Oregonian. OHF: Morphine prescriptions in Oregon continue to outpace the rest of the country. Is that a bad thing? ST: The question is, who’s that going to? Is it people with chronic pain, people with post-operative pain or people who are dying? The federal data makes it impossible to know, so there’s a lot of speculation. Even with all the progress we’re making, even if we are first, second or third in the country for the use of morphine, that doesn’t mean we have solved our problems with pain management. There are studies that show the biggest problem at the end of life is the under-treatment of pain. A third of Oregonians die in nursing homes when they are in a lot of pain. The bottom line is while Oregon does an awesome job in advanced care planning — making plans for death at home — we’re not necessarily the best in the country in pain management. Speaker shelves breast bills A pair of women’s health bills are being held hostage by Speaker Karen Minnis. To free them up, Rep. Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland) is engaged in a letter-writing campaign encouraging the Speaker to move them onto the House floor. Senate Bill 783 would codify Oregon law surrounding an insurance company’s mandate to pay for breast reconstruction surgery post-mastectomy. Senate Bill 785 would require employers to designate an area for new mothers to breast feed or use a breast pump in the workplace. Together, they have affectionately been labeled the “breast bills” by the Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance. OHSU nabs Knight-Richardson Legacy Health System lost a national authority on mental health care to its competitor when Oregon Health & Science University nabbed Dr. Norwood Knight-Richardson. In his new role, he’s the senior policy adviser to three high ranking officials — Dr. Peter Kohler, its president, Dr. Joseph Robertson, dean of the medical school and Dr. George Keepers, interim chair of the department of psychiatry. But that’s only half his story. Knight-Richardson, who’s been a personal friend of President Bush since the two met at Harvard University, has been serving on the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. After a 13-month analysis, the commission’s report sits on the President’s desk, awaiting his signature. Also in this issue...
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