PeaceHealth has reversed course, announcing Wednesday it now intends to renew its contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians to staff its Lane County emergency departments.
The abrupt shift comes three months after PeaceHealth told the 41-member local group it would be replaced by Atlanta-based ApolloMD—a move that sparked strong backlash from medical staff, community members, and elected officials.
PeaceHealth now says it’s negotiating a two to three-year contract with EEP for the RiverBend and Cottage Grove emergency departments, while direct employment of physicians will continue at its Florence hospital.
The announcement lands as federal court arguments continue over whether PeaceHealth’s earlier plan to transition staffing to ApolloMD and the newly formed Lane Emergency Physicians violated Oregon’s corporate practice of medicine law, SB 951.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
