Patient care vs. employee care at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, CA

On July 25th, healthcare workers began picketing Kaiser Permanente at its 40 facilities across the state of California, claiming unsafe staffing levels. Additional pickets were held at ten more Kaiser facilities in Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions represents over 85,000 healthcare workers in seven states and the District of Columbia. The coalition represents nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers, techs, cooks, food staff, and other employees. The current contract is set to expire on September 30th, after which it is possible the healthcare workers will go on strike. 

Workers claim that an understaffing crisis has existed at Kaiser for years which, unfortunately, was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, leaving many departments constantly short-staffed. This, in turn, has made it difficult to provide quality patient care, resulting in long wait times, mistaken diagnosis, and neglect.

Employee burnout has become a huge problem. According to Michael Ramey, an ultrasound technician for Kaiser in La Mesa and a local union president, “we are understaffed, overworked, and stretched so thin during our shifts.”

Understaffing can lead to medical errors

In a statement by the union, the picketing is an attempt to draw attention to Kaiser’s understaffed hospitals and clinics rather than focusing on better wages and benefits for its members. They are demanding the HMO put patient care over profits and provide more help to improve staffing levels at all of their facilities.

Understaffing and burnout among healthcare workers has serious consequences for patient care and safety, including a decrease in the time spent with patients as well as a decrease in the attention given to patients and their medical issues required to maintain optimal outcomes.

The result? An increase in medical errors including misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to diagnose many medical problems resulting in harm and injury to patients and even wrongful death due to negligence.

The potential impact on you

If you or a loved one has suffered harm or injury while in the care of Kaiser Permanente due to understaffing resulting in negligent care, you may be able to file a claim for medical malpractice. 

However, be aware there are certain limitations that prevent you from filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the HMO in court. In the late 1970’s, Kaiser implemented a provision in its group policies requiring all malpractice cases to be settled through their private arbitration system.

In order to receive financial compensation for what you have suffered due to negligence, hire a lawyer who is experienced in the complexities of Kaiser Arbitration hearings.

Scott S. Harris, San Diego medical malpractice lawyer, has successfully arbitrated cases against Kaiser. Scott will aggressively pursue your case, demanding an equitable settlement to compensate you for all damage incurred.