By OMA President Carla McKelvey, MD
We left the Burpees with garlic, rhubarb and Jon’s legendary rock art – Jo with bookends and I with beautiful polished rocks, one of them from Whiskey Run Beach in my area. They were so gracious.
Our first stop was the new medical school in Lebanon, COMP-NW (College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific). The school opened this year and is located across from Samaritan Hospital. The new building is amazing with the latest technology. It appears to be the campus of the future.
Jo and I visited the Gross Anatomy lab. That smell brings back memories of where a significant portion of your first year in medical school was spent. The lab is outfitted with monitors where x-rays and CT scans can be displayed so that radiographic findings can be matched.
Lunch was at The Corvallis Clinic. The concerns expressed mirrored what we had heard across the state, especially regarding the implementation of CCOs.
The day ended in Portland with more meetings. It was a whirlwind tour.
Once again, I am impressed with the diversity of situations across the state and thus the importance to keep sending the message of the need of flexibility and respect for local issues as health system transformation is created and implemented. Our physician communities will be able to continue to provide good patient care if they are given the leverage to do so and are not be hampered with regulations and rules that take their time away from their patients.
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