What was shaping up to be a public showdown over Salem’s heart care market has ended with a whisper behind closed doors instead of a jury verdict.
Oregon Heart Center quietly settled its high-stakes $15 million lawsuit with Salem Health, avoiding a jury trial that had been set for April 20, 2026. Court records show the case was dismissed in February after the two sides reached a private deal, with no settlement terms filed in the public record. The agreement caps a months-long fight over whether Salem Health used its hospital network to steer patients and referrals away from independent cardiologists in the mid-Willamette Valley.
What the clinic alleged
In a complaint filed in September 2024, Oregon Heart Center accused Salem Health of pressuring hospitalized patients to switch providers, limiting referrals, cutting off access to shared electronic records and removing independent cardiologists from public listings. The clinic sought $10 million for monopolization and $5 million for defamation. Those allegations are detailed in court filings posted on DocumentCloud.
Settlement and dismissal
Marion County Circuit Court Judge James Edmonds dismissed the case on Feb. 10, and the private settlement means neither side will present their case to a 12-person jury.
Both Oregon Heart Center attorney Stanton Gallegos and Salem Health spokeswoman Lisa Wood issued identical written statements saying the parties “amicably resolved their legal dispute and look forward to serving the Salem community together.” As Salem Reporter notes, the settlement terms were not disclosed in public filings, leaving the details of the truce out of view for patients and competitors.
Consolidation in local care
The lawsuit cast the fight as part of a broader consolidation trend in Salem’s health care market, pointing to recent moves by Salem Health to bring independent specialty practices into its system…