OHSU files notice with OHA to become one public university health system
UPDATE: On Friday, Oct. 4, the Oregon Health Authority sent an email to OHSU confirming receipt of a complete Notice of Material Change Transaction. The next step in the process is for OHA to begin a preliminary review. OHSU will continue to prioritize transparency and make every effort to promptly respond to OHA as they complete their review.
After months of collaborative work, Oregon Health & Science University has filed a robust, comprehensive Health Care Market Oversight, or HCMO, notice with the Oregon Health Authority that outlines their vision and shows how their plan for an integrated, full-service public university health system will improve the health and well-being of people in Oregon and beyond.
OHSU approached the HCMO filing with the goal of providing significant detail and transparency. This work was mostly guided by OHSU and Legacy subject matter experts, clinicians and staff, organized through work groups focused on quality, access, cost and health equity. Additional work with community-based partners and others will follow.
The OHSU-Legacy integration is different from typical hospital acquisitions because OHSU is a public university health system with a state-mandated mission to serve the people in Oregon. OHSU is publicly accountable, locally controlled and responsive to the specific needs of our state, and, as a public entity, provides unique and specialized care not available elsewhere.
“The OHSU-Legacy integration gives Oregon what it urgently needs to ensure people get the right care at the right place and at the right time, and to limit cost growth by preserving and improving existing community resources and services,” said OHSU President Danny Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., FACS. “Becoming one public university health system will ultimately benefit everyone, including those who have been historically underserved, and propel Oregon forward as a local and national leader in health, education and science.”
The OHSU HCMO filing describes an integrated public university health system that will expand access to high-quality, innovative care and leading-edge research. OHSU commits to outcomes that will benefit all people in Oregon, including shorter wait times for primary, specialty and hospital care, increased access to preventive care, clinical trials and innovative research that lead to improved care and outcomes, more virtual care options, and higher quality health care for all, including for people who are medically underserved.
As a market leader in health care worker compensation and training, OHSU helps ensure people in Oregon have access to the best health care professionals. OHSU is committed to workforce development, retention and honoring all existing collective bargaining agreements and benefits. The integrated university health system will train more clinicians and staff to meet the workforce needs of not just its health system, but health systems across the state.
OHSU worked independently with labor partners AFSCME, ONA and SEIU to center our shared efforts to drive economic prosperity by creating high-quality jobs, build a workforce for today and tomorrow, and advance racial justice and culturally competent care.
OHSU has committed to making $1 billion in strategic investments in buildings, equipment, technology and other infrastructure at Legacy Health. This capital investment is necessary to maintain and expand access to high-quality essential health services and will ensure Legacy Health facilities and services thrive over the next decade and beyond.
At closing, Legacy Health Foundation will transform into an independent organization with a new name and board and will focus on promoting health equity and access in Oregon and southwest Washington. The independent foundation will fill a critical role in the health ecosystem and will partner with community to address social determinants of health.
The state’s oversight review is complex and expected to take six months or longer. Over the coming months, leaders from OHSU will engage with community organizations and members, hearing what people would like to see from their integrated public university health system, and talking about the transformational opportunities ahead.
OHSU and Legacy will work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition including a robust integration planning process.
How people will benefit from the OHSU-Legacy integration
As outlined in the HCMO filing, people in Oregon can expect positive outcomes from the integration of OHSU and Legacy Health, including:
Expanded access to high quality, innovative care and leading-edge research.
- Higher quality health care for all, including those who are medically underserved.
- Shorter wait times for primary, specialty and hospital care.
- More preventive care to reduce the need for hospital services.
- Clinical trials and innovative research that lead to improved care and outcomes.
- Virtual care, freeing up hospital beds.
Health equity advancements.
- Invests in workforce, equipment and facilities as Legacy locations that will benefit people who are underserved.
- Enables a transformational investment in health equity and access.
- Funds an independent foundation that will learn from and partner with community to create pathways and remove barriers to health equity.
- Identifies, evaluates, tracks and addresses disparities.
- Prioritizes health equity assessment as a foundational planning component.
- Helps ensure the full range of care reaches all communities in Oregon, including people in underserved areas.
- Prioritizes language services and place-based care.
- Provides care to more people covered by Medicaid in Oregon than any other health system in the state.
- Enhances access of underserved community members to the benefits of clinical trial participation and ensures that trial results more accurately reflect the breadth of our communities.
Improvements in quality.
- Leverages strengths, expertise and capacity of each system.
- Maintains and builds on complementary strengths of existing high performing health care quality programs.
- Integrates electronic health record systems.
- Develops and standardizes protocols, processes and plans to improve quality.
- Identifies and targets areas for improvement.
Transparent cost management.
- Costs are expected to grow at roughly the same rate as if Legacy and OHSU remained separate, reflecting national trends in health care.
- As a public health system, OHSU has no incentive to increase costs beyond what’s necessary for financial stability.
Health system stabilization.
- Supports long-term financial and economic stability of health care as a service and economic sector in the region.
- Maintains and expands access to essential health services at Legacy Health locations.
- Maintains local control and public accountability.
For the latest updates and opportunities to engage, please visit the OHSU + Legacy Health Integration website.