Oregon Approves 11-Hospital Rural Purchasing Network
The Oregon Health Authority approved the Cascades Rural High Value Network, letting 11 rural hospitals, including Bay Area Hospital, Grande Ronde Hospital and Curry Health District, pool purchasing power for supplies and equipment while remaining independently owned. Cibolo Health, which manages similar rural networks nationally, will operate the network, which plans to share data tools combining payer and patient records to flag high-risk patients and coordinate specialist referrals and transfers. The network requested $17.5 million over five years from the Rural Health Transformation Program to fund the shared data system, care coordinators and a referral hub. OHA's approval requires members to stay independently owned for at least five years, prohibits sharing sensitive pricing data, and mandates annual progress reporting.