A Decade of Transforming Rural Healthcare: Orchid’s Chapter One
In 2014, we launched Orchid Health with a courageous vision: to deliver healthcare to the people and places that needed it most. Our founding team saw firsthand the inequities straining Oregon’s rural communities—where nearly 40% of the state’s population lived without reliable access to quality, local healthcare.
Determined to disrupt an overly bureaucratic, profit-first system, we set out to create a transformative model built on relationships, joy in work, and health equity.
From the very beginning, we’ve held strong to the belief that supporting our communities starts with our own staff. A healthy community starts with a healthy health organization where caregivers are cared for and have the autonomy to do what they feel is best for their team and patients.
From Humble Beginnings to Trailblazing Change
Our team opened the first clinic in Oakridge, Oregon, a community where two rural clinics had closed in the previous decade. Orchid started to gain a reputation of rewriting the rules of healthcare with the introduction of hour-long new patient visits and 30-minute follow-ups. Over three short years, with unhurried, compassionate care, the Oakridge clinic team reduced emergency department utilization for Medicaid patients by 42%, proving that a relationship-based model can achieve meaningful outcomes.
Building on this success, we expanded our community footprint. By 2016, we launched the first hybrid school-based rural health clinic in Estacada, integrating medical and mental health services to serve the broader community and local high school students. Our innovative approach continued with the acquisition of the McKenzie River Clinic in 2020, rescuing a cornerstone of the community and one of the nation’s first certified Rural Health Clinics from closure. Even after the devastating Holiday Farm Fire later that year, our caregivers persisted, setting up a temporary clinic to ensure continuity of care.
A Wellbeing-First Operating Model
Orchid’s six thriving clinics now serve over 10,000 patients across Oregon, providing comprehensive care that includes same-day acute visits, behavioral health services, community health worker services, and chronic disease management.
Central to our successful operating model excellence is the happiness and autonomy of our caregivers.
Employees consistently praise Orchid’s supportive culture, where work-life balance, self-management, vulnerability, professional growth, and community engagement are celebrated. Nearly 30% of team members have advanced to new roles within the organization, and Orchid has maintained an industry-leading eNPS score three times the primary care average, ultimately leading to multiple awards and recognitions as a best place to work and healthiest workplace. Orchid’s turnover over the past three years has been about half of the industry average.
Universally, our Orchid teams are achieving a strong net operating margin, and a 9.5 out of 10 patient satisfaction rating. By focusing on the wellbeing of our caregivers and patients, we believe we’ve unlocked the key to delivering remarkable care and building a resilient organization.
Our clinics have earned four and five-star patient-centered primary care home (PCPCH) ratings—the highest recognition available in Oregon—while reducing emergency department utilization by 40% in the first three years of opening our first rural health clinic. With an eNPS score three times the primary care industry average and an impressive 90% employee retention rate in 2023, we are equally proud of our caregiver support.
Looking Ahead
Everyone at Orchid embraces a learning mindset, adapting to challenges and refining our model. Early experiments, like a direct primary care membership model, underscored the need for inclusivity and access. Today, Orchid contracts with most insurance providers to ensure no patient is turned away. We’re also at the forefront of value-based payment models, aligning financial incentives with patient outcomes.
Looking ahead, we aspire to expand our impact by sharing its proven approach. Plans are underway to establish a consulting arm to guide other healthcare organizations in adopting wellbeing-first principles. Additionally, Orchid recently spun off a new nonprofit arm, the Health Creation Network, to further its mission of health equity and innovation.
What started as a grassroots effort to address rural healthcare disparities has grown into a movement redefining community health. By focusing on relationships, challenging traditional power dynamics, and prioritizing the wellbeing of both caregivers and patients, Orchid Health is a beacon of hope for rural communities across Oregon.
As we enter our second decade, Orchid remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing care to where it’s needed most—proving that healthcare rooted in compassion, equity, and innovation can thrive.
