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Healthcare Provider Strike Preparedness and Response: Lessons Learned from Physician Strikes in New York City
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  • Ryan Leone,
  • R. James Salway,
  • David Silvestri,
  • Laura G. Iavicoli
Ryan Leone
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
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R. James Salway
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
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David Silvestri
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
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Laura G. Iavicoli
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Labor actions by healthcare workers are increasing in frequency and quantity, particularly throughout the United States. Regardless of their cause and size, these strikes have the potential to disrupt normal hospital operations and could impact patient access to care, quality of care, and costs. Strikes resemble other large-scale incidents like natural disasters, pandemics, or terrorist attacks in that they shrink a hospital’s capacity to care for patients, force hospitals to pursue logistically complicated actions like finding replacement providers, and impact nearby facilities due to the offloading of patients. In contrast to these incidents, however, strikes are unique because they often come with months of advanced notice, they reduce capacity by precise amounts with predictable provider losses, they occur over defined periods of time, and they do not necessarily increase the demand for patient care. To maximize efficiency and minimize disruption in response to strikes, hospitals must properly plan ahead and successfully execute their plans. Drawing on the recent planning and response to a resident physician strike at a New York hospital, this paper recounts the experience while describing six core strategies and a planning template that other hospitals can use to prepare for and respond to healthcare provider strikes. These strategies include strike aversion, increasing coverage, decreasing demand, internal and external messaging, creating external partnerships, and demobilization. When properly planned for using Appendix A: Strike Planning Template, strike consequences can be mitigated to ensure that patient care and hospital operations can continue with minimal impact to access, quality, or cost.
Submitted to International Journal of Health Planning and Management
02 Feb 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
12 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major