The Corvallis Clinic

I just called to follow up on an authorization for a sleep study. The authorization was sent to this clinic in May 2025. It's about ready to be cancelled due to not having an appointment scheduled. The woman I spoke with on the phone told me that their office has not processed the authorization and that they can't schedule an appointment. When I said that it sounded like they messed up, the woman hung up on me! I called the VA, and they shared that they will send me a new authorization to a different provider. It turns out that others have been having negative experiences, most recently with this clinic. Best to avoid them. Maybe they don't like veterans?

Since the Corvallis Clinic collapsed and was sold to Optum (a subsidiary of United Heathcare Group) things have done down hill to the point that this is the last place you want to go. It is near impossible to get an appointment. Nurses have left. They will lose more doctors to retirement and they are having serious issues finding new ones. United Heath Care stock is sinking like a rock due to law suits over payments. I get the feeling that they are very short of real BS Degree Registered nurses. What is maddening is this circular approach they have. You tele-med in to Athena. Ask for advice or what to do next. Then you get back a note to make an appointment with your "provider" aka your doctor. But, your doctor is no where to be found. Most of the complaints I have read are correct. Something is wrong with getting appointments and the sort of 4 day work week at the clinic. In the past I have felt like I'm at an auto repair hub as in: "We can fit you in in 5 weeks and that is assuming we have the parts." In the mean time your car does not run and you need it. Sort of like we need our bodies to function. A large part of this is state regulations, taxes, forcing hospitals to suck up costs they cannot sustain, and very low morale of very fine over worked employees. When i had tests some time ago I found out the lab sends the blood to be tested to Seattle.... yes. For the most part if you are really sick and have insurance they do not have the time. One friend called it 15 minute medicine: you get 15 minutes and then out the door. It appears to be the need to haul in $600 per hour per doctor. The situation appears to be the same all over Oregon as United Health Care buys up hospitals and their territories. The other problem in Corvallis is that no truly competent New doctor can by a $600,000+ house here. The after tax cost of living is way too high.

As others have said here, this used to be a good clinic. Then it was bought out by Optum/UHC. Since that time, I have received seven letters from the clinic notifying me of various providers and specialists leaving the clinic, including my daughter’s pediatrician. It appears there’s been a mass exodus, either voluntarily or by force. You can’t get an appointment for months, and when you do, they get cancelled via robocall for unknown reasons. (“Remember: early detection is key!” Yeah, good luck with that here) You call back to reschedule and you’re lucky if they answer the phone. You go into the Asbury building thinking it’ll be faster than waiting on hold for an hour and you find a lone receptionist doing nothing. So yeah, it is faster, but it’s also telling. Like someone else here said, I get the vibe they’re on a four day work week. What’s left of them, anyway. Also (sorry, gotta keep going), the providers no longer respond to portal messages timely. It recently took two weeks (!) to get an answer from the ENT department. And that was after a follow up message at the one week mark. I’ll be looking for a new medical home soon, that’s for sure. Now, cue the corporate public relations response telling me they care and to please reach out to a department that doesn’t exist so they can get to the bottom of this because they take these matters very seriously. lol