Early planning helps hospitals run efficiently during strike.

Careful planning can lessen the harmful effects of a strike on any hospital's day-to-day operations. A Baltimore hospital found that the use of contingency plan during an actual strike made the transition to a modified operational mode relatively smooth and that communication was enhanced. Because lines of responsibility and communication were clearly established, management was able to devote more time to negotiation and to making the contingency plan work rather than spending time on rush planning and policy interpretation.