The Center announces intent to expand its relationship with St. Charles Health System

The Center Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Care & Research and St. Charles Health System have signed a letter of intent to explore expanding their relationship to preserve and strengthen access to orthopedic, neurosurgical, physical medicine and rehabilitation medicine in the Central Oregon region.

Central Oregon is experiencing a rapid reduction in access to care across many different types of medicine. As costs to provide care are increasing while reimbursements for services remain flat to declining, many independent providers have left the market and smaller specialty groups have closed their doors. The number of orthopedic surgeons in Central Oregon has decreased dramatically in the past 18 months making access to necessary care a significant burden for patients and their families.

Although it has tried to fill current care gaps on its own, The Center is facing similar operating headwinds as other independent specialty practices that are making it difficult to retain and recruit providers and staff. A transaction of this nature will be subject to review by the Oregon Health Authority under its Health Care Market Oversight program. However, given the urgency of the current situation and the threat to patients, The Center and St. Charles intend to seek an emergency exemption from the Health Care Market Oversight review process in the hopes of expediting the integration plans and the parties' ability to more immediately stabilize care in the community.

"The physicians, advanced practice providers and staff of The Center are committed to providing exemplary and efficient care to our beloved Central Oregon community," said Dr. Christopher Healy, an orthopedic surgeon and president of The Center's board. "With the ever-mounting challenges facing independent physician practices, a partnership with St. Charles will allow us to better meet the needs of our growing community. St. Charles also shares a mission of providing exceptional care to our region, so aligning with their organization is a natural path forward to delivering orthopedic, neurosurgical and physical medicine care."

The Center operates three clinic locations in Bend and one in Redmond, with outreach clinics in Sisters, Prineville, Madras, La Pine, Burns, and John Day, enabling patients to receive expert care close to home. The Center employs 27 physicians, 27 advanced practice providers, and approximately 200 support staff.

"St. Charles and The Center are both local organizations that are committed to providing the best possible care for Central Oregonians," said Dr. Steve Gordon, president and CEO of St. Charles. "St. Charles has the ability to step in and help shore up these services for our patients and community, which is not only the right thing to do it's critical to ensuring continued access to a wide variety of services throughout the region."

Without immediate financial support, Healy said The Center leadership team is concerned more providers will leave the region worsening the long delays patients are experiencing for care. It can take up to six months to schedule an initial orthopedic evaluation with a total joint replacement surgeon and another six months to schedule surgery.

"Physicians from The Center have been active members of the St. Charles medical staff for decades," Healy said. "St. Charles is the right partner as they are the leader in health care in our area and will help provide stability to musculoskeletal care in the region."

In addition, St. Charles Bend's designation as a Level II Trauma Center is dependent on having a robust group of orthopedic and neurosurgeons available to provide on-call coverage for trauma surgeries when needed, Gordon said. More than 2,000 patients are treated annually for acute and often life-threatening trauma at St. Charles, especially in the summer months when regional recreational activities increase.

"Six of the orthopedists at The Center regularly share daily trauma service shifts, three more provide occasional shifts and all of The Center physicians provide night and weekend assistance," Gordon said. "The loss of these physicians could result in an 'orthopedic desert' in Central Oregon and the loss of Level II trauma services for tens of thousands of square miles east of the I-5 corridor. We can't let that happen."

The Center and St. Charles will put together a transition plan and have a shared goal of completing the transaction as swiftly as possible without any disruptions to patient care. The Center currently provides care to all residents of Central and Eastern Oregon, including rural counties and individuals who may face barriers to care. In the past year, The Center has provided:

• At least 1,000 visits by patients from each of seven Oregon rural counties (Deschutes, Crook, Klamath, Jefferson, Grant, Lake and Harney) and more than 100 visits from patients from Wheeler and Wasco counties

• More than 45,000 visits by seniors, including more than 8,000 by patients over age 80

• More than 6,000 pediatric visits (age <18)

• More than 19,000 visits provided in Redmond, thus preventing patients from having to drive 20 miles further south to Bend for care

• More than 450 visits provided to residents of Warm Springs

• More than 12,500 visits to Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) members

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