On May 7, Rep. Ben Bowman (D-Tigard) convened an informal workgroup to discuss legislation to close loopholes in Oregon’s Corporate Practice of Medicine Doctrine and keep costs down for Oregonians seeking health care.
The law of the land since 1947 has been that Doctors and Advanced Practice Practitioners must own their own practices to prevent undue corporate influence that could impact patient care. When issuing this decision the Oregon Supreme Court Justice Arthur D. Hay wrote that without the corporate practice of medicine doctrine, “the mass of the public would fall into the hands of quacks and charlatans when their most fundamental needs were at stake.”
“As a practicing dentist for more than 15 years, I know from firsthand experience how important the relationship between a patient and their physician is,” said Rep. Cyrus Javadi (R-Tillamook). “I am hopeful this workgroup can strike the right balance to preserve this important relationship and ensure we keep healthcare decisions local in Oregon.”
In the last ten years, there has been a 100,000% increase in private capital raised for investment into primary care. This drastic change in our nation’s and Oregon’s healthcare system has not happened due to a conscious policy change made by the Legislature or Congress but by various workarounds to our current laws.
“Oregon has a long tradition of protecting patients from corporate interests not bound to the same ethical standards as licensed providers but the industry has changed faster than we have updated our laws,” said Bowman. “The core principle of the legislation we are designing here is that we must keep patient care decisions in doctors’ hands–and out of corporate boardrooms.”
The informal workgroup includes providers, independent clinic owners, corporate entities, and other stakeholders. This first meeting discussed the trajectory of House Bill 4130 in the 2024 session and how much control corporate investors should be permitted to have in clinics. Subsequent meetings will be held through the summer and will result in a proposal to bring to the legislature in 2025.
A full agenda from yesterday’s meeting can be found here. Those interested in receiving updates about this and other work are invited to sign up to receive regular updates can find those resources here.
