Kaiser Permanente a 40-hospital system based in Oakland, Calif., has made huge moves in the last month.
Here are five updates from Kaiser to know:
1. A Salem, Ore., radiologist filed a lawsuit against a Kaiser-affiliated physician group alleging he faced retaliation after bringing forth fraud allegations against two other physicians. The practice, Northwest Permanente, is the largest medical group in Oregon and southwest Washington and strongly disputes the allegations.
2. Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers began an open-ended strike Oct. 21 at Kaiser locations in Southern California.The union represents about 2,400 mental health workers at Kaiser facilities throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Orange County and the Inland Empire.
3. Kaiser recently became a founding partner of the WNBA's new team, the Golden State Valkyries. As part of this partnership, Kaiser Permanente's logo will be displayed on the front center of the team's home and away jerseys. Additionally, the health system will serve as the official medical provider for the Valkyries.
4. Kaiser deepened its long-standing relationship with HCA HealthOne, a Denver-based system that includes more than 170 care sites and nine hospitals, to provide additional healthcare access in central Denver.
5. Kaiser Permanente has shared plans to lay off 20 employees across multiple California locations, effective Dec. 6, according to multiple WARN notices obtained by Becker's.