Hospital Closures, Mergers and Acquisitions-Oh My! What’s it mean for patient care?

November 2, 2023

CareOregon and SCAN plan to create a new company called HealthRight, that will serve Medicare and Medicaid members across multiple states. Throughout the country, and right here in Oregon, we are facing an increasing threat brought on by our profit driven healthcare system. 

It seems the latest trend in health care is not decreasing health disparities or improving health outcomes, but the closure, merger or acquisition of America's hospitals and medical facilities. Recent planned merger announcements by Legacy and OHSU as well as CareOregon and California based SCAN, have dominated the news and will occupy regulators for months. The headlines from Oregon’s largest county raise serious questions about patient care and accountability to Oregon’s taxpayers.

Large mergers and acquisitions can result in increased costs of care, loss of personalized care, operational inefficiencies, a neglect of less profitable services, and often a closing of “redundant” or less profitable facilities or services. 

The new combined entity will have revenues of $6.8 billion, employ about 2,500 people and serve almost 800,000 people in Oregon and California receiving Medicare and Medicaid. CareOregon would operate as an affiliate of the larger organization headquartered in Long Beach, California. As the largest Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) in Oregon, CareOregon, and thereby Oregon patients' voices, could be diminished if this merger is approved.

While Oregon has some of the strongest regulations in the country as it pertains to mergers, your voice is needed to halt this merger. The Oregon Health Authority will hold listening sessions in November to learn how Oregonians feel about this proposal. You can provide written testimony or participate online by registering below:

Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties (Columbia Pacific CCO):
Tuesday, November 14 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. via Zoom
Register for the Zoom session 

Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties (Health Share of Oregon):
Wednesday, November 15 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. via Zoom
Register for the Zoom session

Jackson County (Jackson Care Connect):
Thursday, November 16 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. via Zoom
Register for the Zoom session