Unions and Hospitals- Quality, Patient Satisfaction, and Net Income

Abstract

This is the first study that combines data from several national data sets to examine the relationships among hospital unions and hospital outcomes. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) results show that hospitals with unions have lower patient satisfaction than do hospitals without unions; they do not differ on quality of care or net income. Among hospitals with at least one bargaining unit, multiple regression analyses show that union density is negatively related to patient satisfaction; it is not related to quality of care or to net income. We conclude that labor–management relations should consider patient satisfaction and its relationship to employee satisfaction.