PORTLAND, Ore. — An anesthesiologist in Portland may have compromised infection control practices, potentially exposing more than 2,400 patients to infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
Providence Health announced on Thursday that approximately 2,200 patients treated at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, along with two patients from Providence Portland Medical Center, are being notified of a possible low-risk exposure. The hospital system is urging these individuals to undergo free blood tests for screenings. Should any patients test positive, Providence will follow up to discuss results and potential next steps.
The anesthesiologist, who worked for the Oregon Anesthesiology Group from 2017 to 2023 at the two Providence facilities, also provided services at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham for six months starting in December 2023. Legacy Health has begun notifying 221 patients who may have been affected, according to KGW-TV.
In response to the breach, the Oregon Anesthesiology Group stated that the physician has been terminated. They emphasized that upon discovering the violations, the physician was suspended, and an investigation was initiated, leading to the termination. New protocols have been established to prevent future incidents.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has confirmed that the investigation is focused on unacceptable infection control practices used by the anesthesiologist during intravenous anesthesia administration. The OHA is collaborating with Legacy and Providence on their investigations and noted that, as of now, there have been no reported illnesses associated with this incident.
[inline_related_posts title=”You Might Be Interested In” title_align=”left” style=”list” number=”6″ align=”none” ids=”10780,10777,10774″ by=”categories” orderby=”rand” order=”DESC” hide_thumb=”no” thumb_right=”no” views=”no” date=”yes” grid_columns=”2″ post_type=”” tax=””]
