For more than three decades, local physicians staffed emergency departments for an Oregon hospital system. In a few months, they will be replaced by an out-of-state corporate staffing firm.
Leadership at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield decided last month to put Atlanta-based ApolloMD in charge of the emergency department at the area’s only Level II trauma center, replacing Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP) starting July 1.
Amid an outpouring of support for EEP from a leading medical society and the Congresswoman who represents the area, the move has also ignited a fierce debate about physician independence and patient safety and prompted an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the officials responsible for the decision…