By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC
Feb 9, 2026
“In Oregon, a lawmaker wanted to understand this contradiction: His state had a corporate practice of medicine doctrine in place for nearly 80 years that said physicians must run and control medical clinics, yet the state was seeing an overwhelming trend of corporate consolidation and private equity firms buying clinics.
“Ultimately, Oregon lawmakers last year passed a bill to block corporate takeovers of medical practices, a first of its kind in the nation. Physicians have an ethical duty to patients and to public health, while private equity firms and corporations have a fiduciary duty to maximize profit for their shareholders
“What we tried to do in Oregon … is to be clear that the corporate practice of medicine doctrine means something more and we expect physicians to be in charge. It doesn’t mean you can’t partner with private equity firms or corporations, but it means at the end of the day when decisions are being made that impact patients, they have to be made by the physicians,” said Ben Bowman, the majority leader of the Oregon House of Representatives.
I spent a horrendous two days in the Jersey Shore ER observation unit. I plan to share my observations. As you know , corporate management has elbowed doctors out of control, and quality care is in decline. So hooray for Oregon.