Red-handed

The suits at Oregon Health & Science University had another embarrassing moment over the past couple of weeks. This is among their many specialties. They were busted by the Weed for handing out obscenely fat bonuses to themselves. When called out for it, they decided they didn't have enough money to pay the bonuses and called them off. Then they turned on their giant hot air machine and tried to spin what happened.

Bonuses for the eight EVPs, one of whom makes more than $1 million a year, were not retracted because of opposition from unions or anyone else, OHSU spokeswoman Sara Hottman said in an email.

“These are not rescinded,” Hottman wrote. “As Dr. Jacobs said when he announced the Presidential Recognition Award, the executive vice presidents’ awards were contingent upon availability of funds after all individual contributors and other UA employees were accounted for. After verifying the pool of qualified UA members, Dr. Jacobs has determined the EVPs are not eligible for these awards.”

I would not trust those guys any further than I could throw them. You can just imagine what games are played with the books up there. It's hard to believe that they're going to be allowed to take over the Legacy health system. That marriage is going to be an unholy mess, and you can bet patient care isn't going to get better as a result. 

Not to mention that their liability for malpractice is artificially capped under state law. Apparently that scam will now be extended to places like Emanuel and Good Samaritan Hospitals. One more reason not to move to Portland, I guess.