Joint Statement From OR-ACEP and OMA on Emergency Department Staffing and Clinical Autonomy

4/3/26

The Oregon Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (OR-ACEP) and the Oregon Medical Association (OMA) have been working closely together to monitor the developments at PeaceHealth hospitals in Riverbend, Cottage Grove, and Florence. Over the last several weeks, we have engaged and met with stakeholders to ensure that medical decision-making remains with physicians.

OR-ACEP and the OMA have participated in meetings with local emergency physicians, leadership of Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP), key legislative leaders, and the Governor’s office to work toward solutions that support the medical community and the patients they serve. The current issue involving EEP and PeaceHealth underscores several policy challenges that extend well beyond a single contract, including the need for:

  • Transparency and accountability in hospital physician department staffing models
  • Workforce stability and protections for clinicians serving community-based systems
  • Close monitoring of the role of corporate entities in clinical care delivery
  • Safeguards to ensure continuity of care during large-scale staffing transitions
  • State oversight and assistance with interpretation and enforcement of law regarding the corporate practice of medicine

We continue to advocate for protecting physician-led care and restoration of clinical autonomy to medical professionals, ensuring that patient care decisions—not corporate profits—drive medical practice. Senate Bill 951, successfully passed last year, acts as a shield against corporate influence in medicine by prohibiting non-physician entities from controlling clinical operations, hiring, or medical treatment decisions.

Looking to the future, there are several areas in SB 951 that will need revision in future sessions. Provisions that the OMA and OR-ACEP pushed for in previous sessions to create better enforcement mechanisms of SB 951, and ensure that the law was equally applied in all practice settings, need to be revisited. We will continue advocating for those updates in the future and continue to keep our community informed as this work progresses.