Two Portland-area hospital systems announced Thursday afternoon that a doctor involved in roughly 2,400 surgeries and other procedures may have exposed patients to infections, including HIV and hepatitis B and C.
Providence Health & Services and Legacy Health sent out news releases stating that a doctor or member of the Oregon Anesthesiology Group may have breached “infection control” practices.
Providence, in a written statement, shared the most details, stating that the doctor may have put patients at “a low risk of exposure to possible infections.” Legacy Health called the person a “provider.” Officials with the Oregon Health Authority said the doctor was involved in surgeries and other procedures requiring intravenous anesthesia but didn’t provide specifics of what happened.
State health officials said they know of no one who acquired an infection.
Both hospital systems said they are mailing letters to patients who were possibly affected, including about 2,200 patients at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, two patients at Providence Portland Medical Center in Northeast Portland and 221 patients at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham.
Providence said the doctor treated patients from 2017 to November 2023. A Legacy Health statement said the person treated patients for six months starting in December 2023. That would mean patients may have been infected through May.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are encouraging these patients to get a blood test to screen for the aforementioned infections, at no cost,” Providence officials said in a news release. “If a patient tests positive, Providence will reach out to discuss their test results and next steps.”
Both hospital systems said the person believed responsible for the infection control breaches is no longer employed by Oregon Anesthesiology Group or treating patients at their facilities.
Scott Gallagher, a spokesperson for the group, said the doctor is no longer employed with the organization.
“The safety of our patients is our top priority,” Gallagher said in a written statement. “When we learned that the physician had violated infection control practices, we suspended him, informed our partners Legacy Health and Providence, and then began an investigation that resulted in the physician’s termination. Even though the risk of infection was low, new protocols and procedures have been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
Gallagher and the hospital chains declined to answer further questions. The Oregon Medical Board and the Oregon Medical Association didn’t immediately respond to requests for more information. The doctor’s name hasn’t been publicly released.
Providence cut ties with Oregon Anesthesiology Group last year after 33 years of contracting with the physician-owned practice. The move came after Providence said a shortage of anesthesiologists was leading to canceled or delayed surgeries.
The switch to a new group, Washington state-based Sound Physicians, however, led to additional surgical delays because Sound Physicians was not able to hire anesthesiologists quickly enough. After losing the Providence contract, Oregon Anesthesiology Group was hired by Legacy.
In a statement Thursday, the Oregon Health Authority said it is working with Willamette Falls and Mount Hood medical centers on investigating the lapses in infection control practices, and it is not currently investigating whether the hospitals complied with state and federal licensing and certification requirements. The statement didn’t address Providence Portland Medical Center, where two patients may have been exposed.
“Oregon Health Authority acknowledges the worry, pain and loss suffered by anyone affected by a health care-associated infection (HAI),” the agency said in a statement, adding that one in 31 U.S. patients have such infections on any given day.
The statement continued: “HAIs can have devastating impacts for patients as they can increase the length of stay, delay recovery from illness, cause emotional stress, and can lead to sepsis or even death.”
— Aimee Green covers breaking news and the justice system. Reach her at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or @o_aimee.
— Kristine de Leon covers the retail industry, small business and data enterprise stories. Reach her at kdeleon@oregonian.com.
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