The Kaiser Permanente Northern California COVID-19 physician redeployment experience: Redeploying physicians to meet the demands of the pandemic
Abstract
This paper describes a redeployment programme developed by Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KP NCAL) to meet physician staffing needs during five COVID-19 surges in Northern California. By leveraging two existing programmes, creating a flexible system of redeployment levels, and supporting the system with a robust training programme, the physician redeployment programme effectively addressed physician staffing needs, maximised excellent patient care, and supported KP NCAL physicians during the pandemic. The programme delivered care to over 131,000 outpatients with COVID-19 infection and redeployed physicians into more than 800 inpatient shifts.
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Author's Biography
Mary C. Meyer is an emergency medicine physician and the Regional Medical Director of Emergency Management for The Permanente Medical Group, where she develops and deploys strategies to support disaster preparedness across Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s medical centres and offices. In addition to participating in her organisation’s response to various disasters, she has also served in disaster response and health programmes around the world. Dr Meyer is board certified in emergency medicine and obtained a Master of Public Health and certificate in global health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Martin Elliott is a senior research assistant with the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research, working on projects investigating healthcare delivery systems and evaluating pilot care programmes. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2016 and has worked in clinical settings in emergency medical services, the emergency department and urgent care, as well as in special education.
Suzy Fitzgerald is an emergency physician at The Permanente Medical Group, where she serves as Emergency Management Training Director and External Disaster Relief Lead for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Dr Fitzgerald is a founding member of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional Emergency Management Team and has deployed to both domestic and international disaster events. Dr Fitzgerald graduated from the UCSF School of Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.
Richard Dlott recently retired from The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) after nearly 30 years of service as a senior physician, including over a decade as Medical Director of Population Care. As part of TPMG’s COVID-19 response, he developed and provided oversight for the COVID Home Care Teams throughout the Northern California region. He now remains active as an educator and consultant.
Vivian Reyes is the National Physician Lead for Kaiser Permanente’s Care at Home Program and The Permanente Medical Group’s Regional Medical Director of Strategic Hospital Initiatives. She has also served as the Regional Medical Director of Hospital Operations and led Kaiser Permanente’s medical response to various domestic and international incidents. Dr Reyes is board certified in emergency medicine. She completed an executive leadership programme at the Harvard Business School in 2017, and obtained her medical degree from Albany Medical College in New York.
Citation
Meyer, Mary C., Elliott, Martin, Fitzgerald, Suzy, Dlott, Richard and Reyes, Vivian (2022, December 15). The Kaiser Permanente Northern California COVID-19 physician redeployment experience: Redeploying physicians to meet the demands of the pandemic. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 16, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/RAFJ4056.
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