I just received a letter. How do I get a blood test?

Will I have to pay for the tests?

Have I been exposed to infections? If so, which ones?

How will I know about future tests needed after I take the first one?

What happens if I test positive for a virus or infection as a result of this exposure?

Why do I need to take multiple blood tests? Why not just one?

Is Legacy going to cover my medical expenses related to any testing and treatment?

Are my family members/the people I live with at risk too?

What steps has Legacy taken since learning of the issue? How are you going to prevent this from happening again?

After this situation, why should I trust you to handle my testing and potential treatment?

Why wasn’t I notified sooner?

Is there a possibility I was exposed and was not informed with a letter?

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

I just received a letter. How do I get a blood test?

In your letter, you should have received a lab order. If you did not receive a lab order or need help finding a LabCorp location, please contact us at 866-421-5704 or email us at LMHnotification@lhs.org

If you are located within the Portland metro area and are seeking a Legacy LabCorp location, please click here.

If you are not in the Portland metro area, please click here to find the nearest LabCorp location.

Will I have to pay for the tests?

No, all testing is free of charge. The results will be sent to your physician, mailed to you and added to your online MyHealth account, as well as to our consulting physician. We will make sure neither you nor your insurance company will have to pay. 

Have I been exposed to infections? If so, which ones?

While risk of exposure is low, without testing, we cannot be certain, which is why we strongly encourage you to get tested for hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  

There are treatment options if you do test positive for any of the three infections and we recommend multiple tests across a six-month period, depending on the date of your procedure. Please reach out to your provider for further information or with any questions about when and where to get tested. 
 
We are committed to supporting and assisting you, including by paying for necessary tests and follow-up office visits to discuss your results.  

How will I know about future tests needed after I take the first one?

We recommend multiple tests across a six-month period, depending on the date of your procedure. Please dial our hotline number at 866-421-5704 or reach out to your provider for further information or with any questions about when and where to get tested. 

We will send you additional notifications in the mail as you progress through the testing cycle. We are committed to supporting and assisting you, including by paying for necessary tests and follow-up office visits to discuss your results.

What happens if I test positive for a virus or infection as a result of this exposure?

In the event that you test positive, please know that there are treatment options for any of the three infections. We encourage you to reach out to your primary care provider with any questions or for additional resources. 

Why do I need to take multiple blood tests? Why not just one?

Given it may take a few months for viruses or infections to appear in the blood stream, this is the standard approach to ensure that results are accurate and that you receive the care you need. 

Is Legacy going to cover my medical expenses related to any testing and treatment?

We are committed to paying for you to receive the necessary tests, and we will cover the cost of follow-up office visits to discuss your results. If for any reason you get an unexpected bill for the testing or office visit, please let us know by contacting us at LMHnotification@lhs.org, by calling the hotline at 866-421-5704 or by reaching out to your provider. We will resolve it.  

Are my family members/the people I live with at risk too?

While risk of exposure is low, without testing, we cannot be certain, which is why we strongly encourage you to get tested for hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), at no charge. If you test positive for an infection or virus as a result of this exposure, there is a low risk for potential exposure in your household and we would strongly encourage family members to get tested as well. 

We are committed to paying for you to receive necessary tests, and, if you were to test positive for an infection or virus, we will also pay for tests for family members.

What steps has Legacy taken since learning of the issue? How are you going to prevent this from happening again?

This incident does not align with our policies as an organization, or with our values and mission of providing good health for all. Upon learning of this incident, we took immediate action to protect our patients and staff by removing this provider from schedules and launching a comprehensive investigation in accordance with our policies and procedures. 

We are partnering with the provider’s employer, Oregon Anesthesiology Group, to ensure that additional steps are taken to minimize the likelihood of a future incident. Looking ahead, we are evaluating opportunities to improve our practices and policies to ensure patient safety. We have a robust procedure in place for reporting behavior that may violate our policies and are grateful to staff and providers across our facilities for their commitment to patient safety and upholding these policies. 

After this situation, why should I trust you to handle my testing and potential treatment?

The safety of our patients is our top priority, and we adhere to robust infection control practices. We take any potential violations of our policies and procedures extremely seriously.  

I want to emphasize that this was an isolated situation involving a single provider, contracted with the Oregon Anesthesiology Group to provide care at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center for approximately six months. The provider is no longer contracted with us and has been terminated by their employer.  

Why wasn’t I notified sooner?

As soon as Legacy became aware of the breach in protocol, we immediately removed the provider from schedules and launched a comprehensive investigation in accordance with our policies and procedures. We are also working alongside the Oregon Health Authority and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on this process. 

We took steps to carefully identify impacted patients and notify you and your physicians as quickly as possible. 

Is there a possibility I was exposed and was not informed with a letter?

We keep comprehensive records for all patients under our care, which includes tracking each and every provider they are treated by while at a Legacy Health facility. This was an isolated situation involving a single provider, contracted with the Oregon Anesthesiology Group to provide care at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center for approximately six months. We are confident that this provider did not treat any Legacy patients that we did not identify. Patient safety remains our top priority and we take any report of a breach in protocol extremely seriously.