Eleven Oregon Rural Hospitals Seek Approval to Form Joint Network
Eleven rural hospitals and health systems in Eastern and Southwestern Oregon are seeking state approval to form a clinically integrated network called the Cascade High Value Network, allowing them to share resources while remaining independently operated. The effort, chaired by Lake Health District CEO Landon Dybdal, is being organized with help from for-profit consulting firm Cibolo Health, which has built similar networks in other states including North Dakota. The move follows an Oregon Hospital Association report finding the state has lost three community hospitals in recent years amid rising labor and supply costs, insurer payment disputes, and anticipated Medicaid cuts tied to federal reconciliation legislation (H.R. 1). Hospital leaders say the network model offers an alternative to the more common path of rural hospitals closing or being acquired by larger urban systems.