MetroHealth Doctors And Providers Unionize Over Concerns About Patient Care
One appointment slot. Two patients booked. A frustrated MetroHealth Medical Center primary care provider trying to meet the needs of both, who often have complex medical conditions. So much to address. So little time.
This is one of the reasons doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in primary care at MetroHealth say they formed the Primary Care Providers Union (PCPU). The hospital routinely double-books patients without warning, the healthcare providers say. The practice has led to hectic schedules for them. Even more important, it has impacted the quality of patient care, they say.
“It’s frustrating to be a provider wanting to take care of all your patients’ needs but having to choose what’s the most important to address at today’s visit, because there’s not necessarily enough time to do it all,” said Amy Catalani, a certified nurse practitioner in internal medicine who is part of the unionization effort.