Salem Health has absorbed longstanding local clinic Willamette Urology, the latest in a string of acquisitions by the region’s largest health care provider. The clinic is now called Salem Health Urology and will continue operating at 2973 12th St. S.E. with the same urologists.  Willamette Urology has served patients since 1950, and was Salem’s only independent urology practice.New signage went up on Sunday, Dec. 15, and Salem Health announced the absorption in a Facebook post the next day. Patients will keep the same providers, said Katie Dobler, medical group vice president for Salem Health Medical Group, and not much will change beyond the signage. Urologists treat the body system which makes and expels urine, including kidneys, bladders and urethras, and perform vasectomies. “It’s important to keep urology in our community. So if they’re not able to survive as an organization and recruit enough providers for a community of our size, which they weren’t able to do. We felt that it was very important to employ them and to regrow their business and make it sustainable,” Dobler said. Salem Health last fall absorbed Hope Orthopedics, formerly an independent clinic treating fractures, sports injuries and other bone issues. The health system also absorbed two other groups of formerly independent doctors in 2022. Willamette Urology and Salem Health had a strong relationship ahead of the hiring, Dobler said, with the clinic using the hospital’s operating rooms for most of their cases.The clinic approached Salem Health about employment, she said.“One of the leading factors was hiring. It’s really hard to hire providers,” she said, in part because of reimbursement rates. Hospitals are generally able to charge higher reimbursement rates to commercial insurers for the same services compared to independent doctors. “They were down to not enough providers to really sustain. You have to take call, you have to be in the clinic, think about someone living a life and trying to serve all these patients with too few providers. That really eats away at you,” Dobler said.  She said the situation with Willamette Urology was similar to the Hope Orthopedics absorption. Salem Health will take on 25 employees from the clinic, three surgeons and three physician assistants. The hospital offered all staff roles, and the majority accepted, Dobler said.Salem Health Urology hopes to hire six more urologists.“We’ll continue to offer the same great care with them and adding additional providers to meet community demand,” she said, and now with the ability to share medical records.The absorption could affect care for Willamette Urology patients insured through Regence BlueCross BlueShield. The insurer is currently in a contract dispute with Salem Health, which is seeking a substantial increase in the amount Regence pays for care.  Regence has said if the dispute isn’t resolved before their contract with Salem Health expires Dec. 31, Salem Health’s providers will be considered out of network, meaning patients would typically pay more for care. Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Salem Health absorbs Willamette Urology appeared first on Salem Reporter.