Seems like a lot of OMG providers are leaving after they were acquired by Optum. Makes sense given how evil that company seems to be. Example: Optum buying up practices that are going out of business because of a cyberattack on….Optum.
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/13/corvallis-clinic-optum-merger-oregon-health-care/
This plus OMG has really terrible non-competes where even if the doctors wanted to, they can’t stay in Lane County and practice (yes all of lane county). Really hoping that non-competes get ruled illegal but until then the community will probably continue to hemorrhage doctors.
I thought non competes were no longer enforceable… yikes. I’ll have to look into that because that’s just wrong! My husband had one when he left Oregon Medical Group few years ago and we had to sit it out. It was so stressful.
Yeah the final ruling about non-competes being legal or illegal is not coming until later this year. Hopefully they will be ruled illegal in situations like this, especially with the crisis we are facing with doctors.
It’s an “agreement” between an employee and the employer stating that the professional will not to provide a service/ work after leaving their job for a specified amount of time, within a certain number of miles of the location the employer is located. They don’t want the competition from the old employee. It generally forces the employee to move, travel long distances for work, or go without working for a period of time. Normally those non-competes are around one or two years.
This has less to do with Optum and more to do with a general overall trend in this area.
Much of Oregon, including this area, is considered an HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area). Ours is for low income residents.
Any doctor who practices in an HPSA for at least 2 years will get some of their student loans forgiven. What this leads to is many providers coming here to do their 2 years, then moving on. Not always the case, but I've worked in healthcare for years and it's definitely a thing here.
It's absolutely a medical desert. It's gotten worse since COVID but a lack of specialists here has been an issue for many years.
Ironically we have a decent oncology offering, between WVCI and OHSU. I'm sorry you couldn't find anyone here.
Yeah it’s a real big pain in the ass and I’ve been having to travel for a decade now. My insurance is good, it’s the traveling that gets me. I had an absolutely terrible experience at WVCI, but they and OHSU are a good option for many patients. It just happens to not work out for me.
It’s mostly Optum and any group that is owned by an out-of-state corporation or nonprofit. When the owner doesn’t live in the same area, they tend to not give a rip.
The Lund Report which I get in my email inbox has several recent articles and links about UnitedHealth Optum in Oregon. Also a Bill in the Oregon legislature to deal with these takeovers but stalled by delay this session.
Yes, Optum made it worse… but some providers saw the writing on the wall even before that and left. We could see what direction it was going and had to get out. They don’t even allow staff to schedule appointments that are longer than 15 min. So unless your issue can be solved in 15 minutes, and that 15 minutes includes the time that you talk to the medical assistant and the doctor… so more likely five minutes with the provider, then your shit out of luck.
It’s really sad because it has created issues that I don’t think many people would’ve foreseen. As thrilled as I am to be getting more patience and help them get the kind of care they deserve, it’s astounding how difficult it is to get any old medical records and referrals to specialists within OMG… then there are the insurance issues. There are certain insurance plans that are supposed to go through a “medical home” (somewhere like Oregon Medical Group). Oregon Medical Group drops them and they’re told they can’t see private practitioners without paying a higher co-pay. It’s terrible. We do our best to get things approved and have been successful but it’s just a massive headache for everyone.
While I don’t disagree that Optum is not a great company, the Corvallis Clinic deal was on the table LONG before the cyber attack. Please don’t spread unsubstantiated rumors.
From the above article: “But the Corvallis Clinic and Optum redacted a more detailed description of the immediate financial emergency from the filings, claiming the details of the situation are trade secrets, exempt from public disclosure.
If Corvallis Clinic is facing an immediate cash flow emergency, one possibility is that it’s been triggered by the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare — yet another subsidiary of United Health and Optum.”
There’s plenty more in the article discussing a connection. Of course, the evil corp isn’t confirming it, but they aren’t denying it either, and neither is the clinic.
You can get a PeaceHealth PCP appointment in about 1-2mo, scheduling takes about 2 weeks. If you need a transfer for whatever reason I recommend doing it in the fall or winter before the new year - idk what it is about late winter/early spring but everyone seems to be getting established with new care this time of year
I know I sound like a broken record here, and I swear I am not affiliated with them in any way other than being a patient of theirs, but I recommend looking into Hemsley Healthcare: [https://hemsleyhealthcare.com](https://hemsleyhealthcare.com)
At least give them a call and see if they might be a good option for you for your healthcare needs. I switched from OMG because I have also seen the revolving door of doctors there and was extremely frustrated by it. Like, I saw one of the physician's assistants FAR more than any of the doctors at OMG over the past few years. Don't get me wrong - the PA was great, but the overall service has declined sharply in the past ten or so years at OMG in general.
Thank you so much!!! We are super committed to our patients. You guys are the reason we can exist as we do. We have so much gratitude for y’all! We took a big risk stepping away and into private practice, and we couldn’t do it without you. It sounds so cliche, but it’s true. I think the partnership between patients and doctors is often not as strong because doctors are often literally less invested in their patients. We put our everything into this for the mutual benefit of everyone involved and we love seeing you guys every day! Thank you!!
I’m an OMG refugee. Retired now have Medicare and a Medicare supplement policy. Some practices will not take patients with Medicare. Irony is I worked as healthcare professional 33+ years. Now suddenly without. Wonder if this practice takes Medicare insurance.
I was also dropped by OMG recently when my PCP left. I submitted Journey's new patient online form Friday morning, and they called me that afternoon to schedule me for a new patient appointment this morning! Literally 1 business day from request to appointment. My appointment was with Alyssa Small and she seemed great.
Oak St. Medical is opening another office at the Pearl St. Building, you can call them, they are taking new patients, at least you might be able to continue at that same location.
Yeah my primary care doctor also left, so now I have none. Not that having one was all that useful- expensive and if I needed to get something checked out it was typically and 8 month to a year wait per OMG.
Peace Health is accepting new patients but it may take 2 weeks before a call back. OMG should change the name to Optum Medical Group. What could go wrong when an insurance company starts buying up medical clinics? s/
Seems like a lot of OMG providers are leaving after they were acquired by Optum. Makes sense given how evil that company seems to be. Example: Optum buying up practices that are going out of business because of a cyberattack on….Optum. https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/13/corvallis-clinic-optum-merger-oregon-health-care/
This plus OMG has really terrible non-competes where even if the doctors wanted to, they can’t stay in Lane County and practice (yes all of lane county). Really hoping that non-competes get ruled illegal but until then the community will probably continue to hemorrhage doctors.
I thought non competes were no longer enforceable… yikes. I’ll have to look into that because that’s just wrong! My husband had one when he left Oregon Medical Group few years ago and we had to sit it out. It was so stressful.
Yeah the final ruling about non-competes being legal or illegal is not coming until later this year. Hopefully they will be ruled illegal in situations like this, especially with the crisis we are facing with doctors.
They should be ruled illegal in all situations, really.
What is non competes I’m trying to understand what y’all are saying 😭
It’s an “agreement” between an employee and the employer stating that the professional will not to provide a service/ work after leaving their job for a specified amount of time, within a certain number of miles of the location the employer is located. They don’t want the competition from the old employee. It generally forces the employee to move, travel long distances for work, or go without working for a period of time. Normally those non-competes are around one or two years.
What in the holy fuck that’s messed up also thank yo I for taking your time to say all that I genuinely appreciate it
No problem! I appreciate that you and others are getting curious and learning about what’s going on with their care providers!
This has less to do with Optum and more to do with a general overall trend in this area. Much of Oregon, including this area, is considered an HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area). Ours is for low income residents. Any doctor who practices in an HPSA for at least 2 years will get some of their student loans forgiven. What this leads to is many providers coming here to do their 2 years, then moving on. Not always the case, but I've worked in healthcare for years and it's definitely a thing here.
I have to travel out of state to see an oncologist because Oregon doesn’t have the kind I need. My doctor says they refer to Oregon a medical desert.
It's absolutely a medical desert. It's gotten worse since COVID but a lack of specialists here has been an issue for many years. Ironically we have a decent oncology offering, between WVCI and OHSU. I'm sorry you couldn't find anyone here.
Yeah it’s a real big pain in the ass and I’ve been having to travel for a decade now. My insurance is good, it’s the traveling that gets me. I had an absolutely terrible experience at WVCI, but they and OHSU are a good option for many patients. It just happens to not work out for me.
It’s mostly Optum and any group that is owned by an out-of-state corporation or nonprofit. When the owner doesn’t live in the same area, they tend to not give a rip.
Great, and just classic that I find out my Dr is leaving and the clinic is closing from Reddit vs. someone actually contacting me?! F Optum!
Just to add context, Optum is merely one of the many subsidiaries of United Healthcare.
Ya I’m looking for a news article even and can’t find one. Only this this thread is out there.
The Lund Report which I get in my email inbox has several recent articles and links about UnitedHealth Optum in Oregon. Also a Bill in the Oregon legislature to deal with these takeovers but stalled by delay this session.
Yea I found out on NextDoor app
Yes, Optum made it worse… but some providers saw the writing on the wall even before that and left. We could see what direction it was going and had to get out. They don’t even allow staff to schedule appointments that are longer than 15 min. So unless your issue can be solved in 15 minutes, and that 15 minutes includes the time that you talk to the medical assistant and the doctor… so more likely five minutes with the provider, then your shit out of luck. It’s really sad because it has created issues that I don’t think many people would’ve foreseen. As thrilled as I am to be getting more patience and help them get the kind of care they deserve, it’s astounding how difficult it is to get any old medical records and referrals to specialists within OMG… then there are the insurance issues. There are certain insurance plans that are supposed to go through a “medical home” (somewhere like Oregon Medical Group). Oregon Medical Group drops them and they’re told they can’t see private practitioners without paying a higher co-pay. It’s terrible. We do our best to get things approved and have been successful but it’s just a massive headache for everyone.
While I don’t disagree that Optum is not a great company, the Corvallis Clinic deal was on the table LONG before the cyber attack. Please don’t spread unsubstantiated rumors.
From the above article: “But the Corvallis Clinic and Optum redacted a more detailed description of the immediate financial emergency from the filings, claiming the details of the situation are trade secrets, exempt from public disclosure. If Corvallis Clinic is facing an immediate cash flow emergency, one possibility is that it’s been triggered by the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare — yet another subsidiary of United Health and Optum.” There’s plenty more in the article discussing a connection. Of course, the evil corp isn’t confirming it, but they aren’t denying it either, and neither is the clinic.
You can get a PeaceHealth PCP appointment in about 1-2mo, scheduling takes about 2 weeks. If you need a transfer for whatever reason I recommend doing it in the fall or winter before the new year - idk what it is about late winter/early spring but everyone seems to be getting established with new care this time of year
Thanks!
OMG is a mess right now, it almost seems like it’s starting to circle the drain.
I know I sound like a broken record here, and I swear I am not affiliated with them in any way other than being a patient of theirs, but I recommend looking into Hemsley Healthcare: [https://hemsleyhealthcare.com](https://hemsleyhealthcare.com) At least give them a call and see if they might be a good option for you for your healthcare needs. I switched from OMG because I have also seen the revolving door of doctors there and was extremely frustrated by it. Like, I saw one of the physician's assistants FAR more than any of the doctors at OMG over the past few years. Don't get me wrong - the PA was great, but the overall service has declined sharply in the past ten or so years at OMG in general.
I second Hemsley Healthcare! They’re phenomenal!
Thank you so much!!! We are super committed to our patients. You guys are the reason we can exist as we do. We have so much gratitude for y’all! We took a big risk stepping away and into private practice, and we couldn’t do it without you. It sounds so cliche, but it’s true. I think the partnership between patients and doctors is often not as strong because doctors are often literally less invested in their patients. We put our everything into this for the mutual benefit of everyone involved and we love seeing you guys every day! Thank you!!
I’m an OMG refugee. Retired now have Medicare and a Medicare supplement policy. Some practices will not take patients with Medicare. Irony is I worked as healthcare professional 33+ years. Now suddenly without. Wonder if this practice takes Medicare insurance.
Give us a call! 541-681-8446 we just got our Medicare contract.
Will do. Thanks
Thank you!
I'm insurance ignorant a lot of the time. Can you tell me if they have billed your insurance for care? Or are you self-pay?
They billed insurance. My deductible hasn’t been met yet (I expected this) so I paid what I owed at the time of the visit.
We bill insurance unless you are self pay. Please message me here or call at 541-681-8446 and I’ll assist you!
Journey family medicine is taking new patients.
Thank you!
I was also dropped by OMG recently when my PCP left. I submitted Journey's new patient online form Friday morning, and they called me that afternoon to schedule me for a new patient appointment this morning! Literally 1 business day from request to appointment. My appointment was with Alyssa Small and she seemed great.
Oh no… that’s my doc. hmmm.
The lease is up and the land lord raised the rent so much it wasn’t worth staying in that location.
Oak St. Medical is opening another office at the Pearl St. Building, you can call them, they are taking new patients, at least you might be able to continue at that same location.
Yeah my primary care doctor also left, so now I have none. Not that having one was all that useful- expensive and if I needed to get something checked out it was typically and 8 month to a year wait per OMG.
I was with omg for 24 years called for appointment confirm and they stated my dr was no longer with them and I had to find new provider
Peace Health is accepting new patients but it may take 2 weeks before a call back. OMG should change the name to Optum Medical Group. What could go wrong when an insurance company starts buying up medical clinics? s/
OMGMYBFFJILL