The Oregon Academy of Family Physicians raised concerns in a March 4 letter to the state merger oversight office, the Oregon Health Authority, over the Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University's proposed acquisition of Legacy Health, also in Portland, The Lund Report reported March 6.
In the letter, physicians expressed concerns that the deal would create a major new Oregon hospital and health system "powerhouse." The two parties signed a definitive agreement to come together under the name OHSU Health in May 2024 and filed a healthcare market oversight notice with the state health authority in September 2024. The combined system would comprise 10 hospitals, more than 32,000 employees and become one of the biggest providers of Medicaid services in Oregon.
Betsy Boyd-Flynn, executive director for the group of 1,800 family physicians, wrote that access to primary care in the state is already "precarious." She cited a 2022 survey by AMN Healthcare of the biggest 15 metropolitan areas in the U.S. that found that Portland-area residents experience the longest wait-times for family medicine appointments at an average of 44 days.
The group's letter adds to a heightening debate over the deal, as consumers advocate and former Gov. John Kitzhaber, along with researchers at Brown University in Providence, R.I., have also spoken out against the merger. Other groups, including nonprofits and some lawmakers, have also opposed the deal, citing other geographies where consolidation has led to higher prices and undermined health equity, according to the report.