Providence said hundreds of patients have been asked to get tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV because of the possibility of infection from anesthesiologists.
PORTLAND, Ore. — About 2,400 patients at both hospitals providence Legacy Health facilities in the Portland area have been notified of an “infection control violation” linked to a third-party anesthesiologist that may have exposed the facility to an infectious disease.
Legacy Health said in a statement that it has sent letters to 221 patients who may have been affected.
Legacy said the outbreak originated from a single provider contracted through Oregon Anesthesiology Group, who provided care at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center for six months beginning in December 2023.
“Upon learning of this incident, we immediately suspended the provider and initiated a thorough investigation in accordance with regulations and our own policies and procedures,” the hospital group said.
In a separate statement, Providence said about 2,200 patients at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center and two patients at Providence Portland Medical Center had been notified of a similar breach. The hospital system confirmed the breach also involved one physician employed by the Oregon Anesthesiology Group.
Providence said the doctor no longer works for the anesthesiology group, and the hospital system no longer has a contract with the group. In November 2023, Providence switched its provider from Oregon Anesthesiology Group to Sound Physicians, which at the time was responsible for hundreds of delayed surgeries.
Providence said its patients are at “low risk” for infection with infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Patients were notified through mailed letters and MyChart notifications.
“Out of an abundance of caution, these patients are being encouraged to undergo free blood testing to screen for the aforementioned infectious diseases. If a patient tests positive, Providence will be in contact to discuss the test results and next steps,” Providence said. “Patient safety is our top priority and we are committed to assuring our patients that we will thoroughly review this matter and take appropriate action.”
Both hospital systems declined to comment further about the infection-control violations or elaborate on the situation.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Anesthesia Group also declined any interview requests but did release a short statement.
“Patient safety is our top priority. When we learned that the physician violated infection control practices, we suspended him, notified our partners, Legacy Health and Providence, launched an investigation and terminated the physician. Although the risk of infection was low, new protocols and procedures have been put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The Oregon Health Authority released a statement about the breach, adding that the agency has not received any reports of illnesses related to the breach at this time, and that its investigation into the breach is centered on doctors who administered intravenous anesthesia and used “unacceptable infection control practices that put patients at risk for infection.”
“While the news of infection control violations at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center may be distressing to some, it is important to know that Oregon health care providers employ highly qualified and skilled infection preventionists and laboratory staff and are proactively working to prevent (health care associated infections),” OHA said. “In addition, local, state and federal public health agencies work closely with health care settings to implement effective infection control practices and provide health care providers with the tools to keep patients, visitors and the public safe.”
