Kaiser
Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center: Pioneer in LaborManagement
Partnership |
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By Teri G.
Muse, BA
The Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center is the
first US hospital to be designed and operated by labor and management
groups cooperatively in a full partnership: the Kaiser Permanente
National Labor-Management Partnership. This article gives some
background about this important event.
Introduction
A mere seven months after final approval was given for its formation,
the Kaiser Permanente (KP) Baldwin Park Medical Center opened
its doors on October 7, 1998. This event was a result of open-mindedness,
commitment, and sheer hard work--major features of the cooperative
relationship between the labor unions and management teams participating
in the Kaiser Permanente National LaborManagement Partnership.
No other KP facility to date--let alone any other medical facility
in the United States--has opened in this way.
Designing a New Kind of Workplace
To completely design all of the Baldwin Park Medical Center's
operations within this brief, seven-month time frame while building
a positive working relationship, a steering committee composed
of labor and management leaders was established at Baldwin Park.
The committee was charged with developing a partnership culture
and a model of patient care for the hospital.
To work collaboratively, management had to relinquish unilateral
control over issues and information that typically fell solely
under management purview. These issues included access to financial
information, control over the interview and hiring processes,
and selection of equipment and supplies. Conversely, union-affiliated
employees had to trust that communication with the codirectors
are integrated into the physician's daily work schedule.
All leaders are responsible for the performance of their units,
including financial aspects, level of service to patients, and
quality of care delivered. Leaders also perform or oversee all
unit functions, such as patient care, scheduling staff, keeping
medical records, tracking competency, processing admissions, assigning
beds, and coordinating with support departments. This operational
configuration is very different from the traditional unit structures
found in most hospitals and health systems across the country.
A Positive Precedent
Given that the Baldwin Park Medical Center has been operational
for a year, it is too early to determine the impact of the labormanagement
partnership on our organization, employees, and patients. However,
early results should be available by the end of 1999.
"It has been very rewarding to be a part of this precedentsetting
labormanagement partnership," said Dr. Lulejian. "But
when all is said and done, I am most proud of the dedicated employees
and physicians at the Baldwin Park Medical Center. Their talent
and commitment to developing the finest systems to deliver care
will carry into the future and will represent a legacy to our
Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program," concluded Dr. Lulejian.
Related publication: Neveloff DJ. Marketplace.
Cooling hospital labor tensions: a Kaiser case study from California.
Med Health 1999 Mar 29;53(13):suppl 1-2.
Weinstock MP. Kaiser and unions set aside differences
for quality's sake. AHA News 1998;34(36) Sept 14;6.
