What Kaiser's ongoing strike means for patients

Particularly in California, people could experience delays in their appointments or test results and even have their medical procedures postponed after their departure. thousands of healthcare workers.

VideoOver 75 000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers began a three-day strike after contract negotiations failed over wages and staffing shortages.CreditCredit...Loren Elliott for The New York Times

Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees, including pharmacists, lab technicians and therapists and housekeepers, went on strike Wednesday morning. Kaiser patients in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia and Washington state, where Kaiser health workers are withdrawing, will be affected.

Kaiser, whose health plans cover nearly 13,000 people. million people through a network of hospitals and clinics, says its hospitals and emergency services remain open. But patients should expect delays in scheduling appointments, and procedures that are not considered urgent could be postponed. Doctors and many nurses are not on strike.

Which services are affected?

In an earlier statement, Kaiser emphasized that “a strike should not deter anyone from seek necessary care.” But a range of services, such as lab tests, imaging and prescription filling, could be delayed because of the walkouts. Some clinics and pharmacies may be closed, and Kaiser said it will contact patients if there are cancellations.

Kaiser hospitals are open. But some people seeking care could be referred to a hospital outside Kaiser's usual network if their doctors deemed it necessary. Kaiser's hospital pharmacies also remain open, although the health system urges people to use its mail-order pharmacy if they can wait. Some patients may also have the option of visiting an outside retail pharmacy to fill a prescription.

Patients may feel the effects of the strike in other ways: hospital rooms may be cleaned less frequently, and the outside workers Kaiser has brought in for help may not be as familiar with how a facility works.

Where are Kaiser workers located discharged?

Kaiser Permanente operates in eight states and the District of Columbia, with 39 hospitals and more than 600 physician practices. Most of the strikers are in California, where the health system is based. The system operates nearly every hospital in the state, as well as more than 500 medical buildings.

There are no strikes in Georgia, Maryland and Hawaii, according to Kaiser, and few walkouts occurred in Washington state. In Virginia and the District of Columbia, only pharmacists and optometrists participated Wednesday, and they were expected to return to work after one day.

What are the main work-related issues?

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated staffing shortages that even Kaiser officials say continue to plague hospitals and other medical centers across the country. Patients and workers have had to deal with fewer nurses, aides and support staff, according to numerous accounts.

Union representatives from Kaiser said the lack of adequate staffing created unsafe conditions for patients. patients, and argued that better wages would incentivize workers to close the gaps created by burnout and employee exodus in recent years.

Under a proposed four-year contract, the union demanded a $25 hourly minimum wage and a supplement...