Abstract
Even before the word pandemic reentered the lexicon, pressures stemming from institutional and technological change challenged policymakers and provider organizations to rethink core features of the manner in which we deliver healthcare. This essay introduces a special issue devoted to the consequences of change on the healthcare sector’s varied stakeholders. It does so in the context of our eventual, post-coronavirus reemergence and a renewed interest in remaking the healthcare system in light of its obvious deficiencies. Towards that end, we introduce the five papers composing this special issue, each of which informs the ways that change actually transpires in healthcare organizations and systems.
Highlights
A pandemic of as yet unknown duration is changing the world
Expected to write an entirely different introduction to this issue—one that emphasized the centrality of the healthcare sector to industrialized economies and societies and the key insights it can provide regarding employment relations and work in other industries
The Covid-19 crisis has placed near universal scrutiny on our healthcare systems, public health and acute care organizations
Summary
From the perspective of work and organizations, the most glaring and longstanding shortcoming exposed by the crisis is the prevalence of lowroad employment models applied to many frontline workers but especially to direct care workers, including home health aides, personal care assistants, emergency medical technicians, and certified nursing assistants. Workers lacking basic employment protections are limited in their ability to properly care for society’s weakest and most vulnerable (Franzosa et al, 2019) These working conditions make it difficult for employers to retain a stable, committed, and skilled workforce. Low-wage, direct care workers spend a substantial amount of time with patients, far exceeding that of physicians and nurses. At the very least, provide a living wage and benefits, including paid sick leave, health insurance, and retirement contributions. These substandard jobs are disproportionately held by women; recent research shows that over one third of female healthcare workers earn under $15 per hour, with 17% of these workers either uninsured or covered by Medicaid (Himmelstein & Venkataramani, 2019). Covid-19 is painting a painful portrait of the costs associated with the all too prevalent low-road models
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
