I find this story completely credible, shocking though it is. Kaiser made up a silly story about my VUCG X-rays not having been saved in any permanent form. Kaiser has refused to provide the X-rays to my new non-Kaiser doctors. Kaiser also created a false report about the results, apparently so I wouldn't ask for any treatment.
Kaiser hires a lot of people whose job is to talk employers into using Kaiser for their employees' health insurance. It appears that one of the services they offer to employers is to create deceptive reports about patients to save money for employers. I never would have believed this if I hadn't seen it myself.
Kaiser Permanente alters X-rays and CT scans
Gripevine.com
May 23, 2012
Hello and thank you for following my "gripevine gripes" against Kaiser Permanente. I hope you have reviewed Kaiser Permanente hid my Colon & Lung Cancer from me for 4 1/2 years, parts 1 through 4.
I thought I would take this time to show you that some of Kaiser Permanente doctors lied to me and said they were doing a Endoscopy on me to remove 2 stones stuck in the Bile Duct, when they actually did a Colonoscopy and removed a Cancerous Tumor in my Upper Colon.
The problem was that these Kaiser doctors actually flipped me over at Kaiser Hayward, after the Colonoscopy that they lied about and took an X-ray and replaced all my previous X-rays. Why? To cover up my injuries for California Workers Compensation and my company that I worked for called Clark Pest Control.
From the very start Kaiser Permanente doctors lied on a Radiology Report that showed I had a Tumor in my Colon and stated on the Radiology Report within normal limits and just ignored the Tumor. Then they did a Spirometry Test where the results came back that I had a Moderate Obstructive Defect and they changed the results 13 days after the test to a Mild Defect. The Dr. Glassberg came in and acted like she couldn't access my Kaiser Permanente file, when she could have. Then she wrote this 8-30-07 letter blaming my Mild Defect (Asthma) on my Obesity.
Then I was scheduled to go to a Pulmonary Qualified Medical Evaluator for my Lung Injury that I sustained at Clark Pest Control. I will put down a few pages so you can see the Fraud behind this set up by Kaiser Permanente in Fremont and the State of California.
But I want you to see that when Kaiser Permanente replaced my old X-rays and reports, what they made a mistake with.
The Kaiser Santa Clara X-ray from June 26th, 2007 that Kaiser Hayward sent them, shows that I had a Hernia, but I didn't have my Umbillical Hernia at that time. They forgot that if they replace the old X-ray it will show the Umbillical Hernia. Funny!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Kaiser Permanente settles therapy dispute with California Dept of Managed Health Care
The DOMHC has thrown Kaiser patients a small bone (see story below), but most of the time the DMHC [DOMHC] supports Kaiser's policy of making money by denying health care.
Why would the DOMHC support Kaiser's wrongdoing?
Well, let's see. Let's start by asking, "Who's in charge of the DOMHC?" None other than former Kaiser Health Plan lawyer, Brent Barnhart. Before he worked for Kaiser, Barnhart was an attorney and lobbyist for the health insurance industry in Sacramento – as legislative affairs director for Blue Cross of California, and as counsel and secretary to the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies.
DOMHC Director Brent A. Barnhart
This isn't the smile Brent Barnhart gives to Kaiser patients who've been injured by substandard care. DOMHC chief Brent A. Barnhart spent 13 years as senior counsel for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. It appears that he's still defending Kaiser in his position as overseer of health care plans. It would be interesting to learn about the cases he presided over when he represented Kaiser, but the cases are secret. Kaiser patients have to agree to binding arbitration instead of bringing their cases to the justice system.
We pay taxes to run the DOMHC Help Center, but the Help Center's goal is clearly to support Kaiser. Attorney Andrew George, an Assistant Deputy Director of DOMHC who is in charge of the Help Center, and Carol Massey-McCants, manager of the Complaint Resolution Branch, frequently ignore written complaints. Kaiser Permanente makes lots of high-profile gifts to government entities and has its own employees, in powerful positions in the DOMHC.
Dr. Bernadette Loftus, Kaiser administrator and member of DOMHC Medical Advisory Board
Kaiser, state settle therapy dispute
By Sandy Kleffman
Bay Area News Group
05/25/2012
Kaiser Permanente has agreed to reimburse some patients who were denied physical, occupational and speech therapy and paid for it themselves, state regulators announced Friday.
The HMO reached a settlement with the California Department of Managed Health Care after the state agency accused Kaiser in February of improperly refusing therapy to members who lack a "physical condition."
As a result, patients who might stutter or lisp or who had developmental delays, for example, were unable to get speech therapy, regulators said. Some people with mental illnesses also were excluded from therapy, the state said.
"The agreement ensures that Kaiser members will get the care they are entitled to under the law," said Managed Health Care Director Brent Barnhart, in a written statement.
Kaiser disputes the state's description of its policies.
"Although we continue to believe that Kaiser Permanente's approach to providing these services to our members was appropriate, we have reached an agreement with the DMHC to reimburse some members who incurred out-of-pocket expenses," said Kaiser spokesman John Nelson, in a written statement.
Under the agreement, Kaiser members who were denied medically necessary therapy since January 2009 may be eligible for reimbursement if they were named in the state enforcement action, or filed a complaint, or paid out-of-pocket for such therapy.
Members have until Jan. 31 to seek reimbursement.
[Maura Larkins comment: And what of those who could not afford to pay for their own therapy? Too bad, too sad. The DOMHC has apparently decided that they get nothing, and will simply have to live with the results of Kaiser's denial of care.]
Kaiser said it has identified nearly 90 members who may be eligible to receive payment for their out-of-pocket expenses. It will also review claims submitted by other members who are not on the list.In July, Kaiser will contact people who filed complaints.. It will also put a notice in its summer Partners in Health bulletin.
People who want more information can call the Managed Health Care Help Center at 1-888-466-2219 or go to www.HealthHelp.ca.gov.
Why would the DOMHC support Kaiser's wrongdoing?
Well, let's see. Let's start by asking, "Who's in charge of the DOMHC?" None other than former Kaiser Health Plan lawyer, Brent Barnhart. Before he worked for Kaiser, Barnhart was an attorney and lobbyist for the health insurance industry in Sacramento – as legislative affairs director for Blue Cross of California, and as counsel and secretary to the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies.
This isn't the smile Brent Barnhart gives to Kaiser patients who've been injured by substandard care. DOMHC chief Brent A. Barnhart spent 13 years as senior counsel for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. It appears that he's still defending Kaiser in his position as overseer of health care plans. It would be interesting to learn about the cases he presided over when he represented Kaiser, but the cases are secret. Kaiser patients have to agree to binding arbitration instead of bringing their cases to the justice system.
We pay taxes to run the DOMHC Help Center, but the Help Center's goal is clearly to support Kaiser. Attorney Andrew George, an Assistant Deputy Director of DOMHC who is in charge of the Help Center, and Carol Massey-McCants, manager of the Complaint Resolution Branch, frequently ignore written complaints. Kaiser Permanente makes lots of high-profile gifts to government entities and has its own employees, in powerful positions in the DOMHC.
Dr. Bernadette Loftus, Kaiser administrator and member of DOMHC Medical Advisory Board
Kaiser, state settle therapy dispute
By Sandy Kleffman
Bay Area News Group
05/25/2012
Kaiser Permanente has agreed to reimburse some patients who were denied physical, occupational and speech therapy and paid for it themselves, state regulators announced Friday.
The HMO reached a settlement with the California Department of Managed Health Care after the state agency accused Kaiser in February of improperly refusing therapy to members who lack a "physical condition."
As a result, patients who might stutter or lisp or who had developmental delays, for example, were unable to get speech therapy, regulators said. Some people with mental illnesses also were excluded from therapy, the state said.
"The agreement ensures that Kaiser members will get the care they are entitled to under the law," said Managed Health Care Director Brent Barnhart, in a written statement.
Kaiser disputes the state's description of its policies.
"Although we continue to believe that Kaiser Permanente's approach to providing these services to our members was appropriate, we have reached an agreement with the DMHC to reimburse some members who incurred out-of-pocket expenses," said Kaiser spokesman John Nelson, in a written statement.
Under the agreement, Kaiser members who were denied medically necessary therapy since January 2009 may be eligible for reimbursement if they were named in the state enforcement action, or filed a complaint, or paid out-of-pocket for such therapy.
Members have until Jan. 31 to seek reimbursement.
[Maura Larkins comment: And what of those who could not afford to pay for their own therapy? Too bad, too sad. The DOMHC has apparently decided that they get nothing, and will simply have to live with the results of Kaiser's denial of care.]
Kaiser said it has identified nearly 90 members who may be eligible to receive payment for their out-of-pocket expenses. It will also review claims submitted by other members who are not on the list.In July, Kaiser will contact people who filed complaints.. It will also put a notice in its summer Partners in Health bulletin.
People who want more information can call the Managed Health Care Help Center at 1-888-466-2219 or go to www.HealthHelp.ca.gov.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Brain-Damaged Woman Wins Suit Against City Hospitals
Brain-Damaged Woman Wins Suit Against City Hospitals
By MATT FLEGENHEIMER
New York Times
May 25, 2012
A Bronx jury awarded about $120 million on Friday to a woman who has been incapacitated since she was treated at three local hospitals in 2004.
The award, by a State Supreme Court jury, was made in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jacqueline Martin, now 45, by her mother. Ms. Martin suffered brain damage after a series of hospital visits in February 2004, the family’s lawyer, Tom Moore, said.
The award is among the largest ever issued for a medical malpractice verdict in the state.
The ruling allocated primary responsibility to two city hospitals: 50 percent to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, and 40 percent to Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. It also allocated 5 percent responsibility to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, and 4 percent to one of its neurologists.
Ms. Martin, who originally sought treatment for a seizure, was found 1 percent responsible. Mr. Moore described that finding as a “quirk” that stemmed from a jury misunderstanding.
The city plans to appeal. In a statement, Suzanne S. Blundi, the deputy counsel for the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation, expressed sympathy for Ms. Martin’s plight, but said “the amount of this judgment is not consistent with the facts and the law.”
Over the course of less than a month, Mr. Moore said, medical personnel mismanaged Ms. Martin’s medications, failed to respond swiftly to crises and did not provide essential treatments. She developed swelling in her face, eyes and throat in an allergic reaction to anti-seizure medication. She was later diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare and severe skin disorder, Mr. Moore said.
The Health and Hospitals Corporation declined to discuss the specifics of Ms. Martin’s medical history, but said that some components of the award appeared excessive. Though Ms. Martin, a mother of two, earned less than $40,000 a year as a claims adjuster, the jury awarded her $10 million in lost earnings. Ms. Martin’s medical costs since 2004, covered by Medicaid, totaled $583,000, the corporation said, but the jury awarded her $5 million for past medical costs.
Mr. Moore acknowledged that “some elements may have been excessive” in that sum of $15 million, but he called the verdict as a whole “totally consistent” with the magnitude of the ordeal.
By MATT FLEGENHEIMER
New York Times
May 25, 2012
A Bronx jury awarded about $120 million on Friday to a woman who has been incapacitated since she was treated at three local hospitals in 2004.
The award, by a State Supreme Court jury, was made in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jacqueline Martin, now 45, by her mother. Ms. Martin suffered brain damage after a series of hospital visits in February 2004, the family’s lawyer, Tom Moore, said.
The award is among the largest ever issued for a medical malpractice verdict in the state.
The ruling allocated primary responsibility to two city hospitals: 50 percent to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, and 40 percent to Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. It also allocated 5 percent responsibility to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, and 4 percent to one of its neurologists.
Ms. Martin, who originally sought treatment for a seizure, was found 1 percent responsible. Mr. Moore described that finding as a “quirk” that stemmed from a jury misunderstanding.
The city plans to appeal. In a statement, Suzanne S. Blundi, the deputy counsel for the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation, expressed sympathy for Ms. Martin’s plight, but said “the amount of this judgment is not consistent with the facts and the law.”
Over the course of less than a month, Mr. Moore said, medical personnel mismanaged Ms. Martin’s medications, failed to respond swiftly to crises and did not provide essential treatments. She developed swelling in her face, eyes and throat in an allergic reaction to anti-seizure medication. She was later diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare and severe skin disorder, Mr. Moore said.
The Health and Hospitals Corporation declined to discuss the specifics of Ms. Martin’s medical history, but said that some components of the award appeared excessive. Though Ms. Martin, a mother of two, earned less than $40,000 a year as a claims adjuster, the jury awarded her $10 million in lost earnings. Ms. Martin’s medical costs since 2004, covered by Medicaid, totaled $583,000, the corporation said, but the jury awarded her $5 million for past medical costs.
Mr. Moore acknowledged that “some elements may have been excessive” in that sum of $15 million, but he called the verdict as a whole “totally consistent” with the magnitude of the ordeal.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
KP Southern California Sports Medicine Complaint
KP Southern California Sports Medicine Complaint
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
May 2012
Received by email a few days ago. Unfortunately this is all too typical, and here’s why: Kaiser Permanente doctors are trained to minimize your symptoms, and pressured to always default to the least expensive treatment. In fact, nearly all of the grievances we hear about are at least partially due to this cost-saving practice. Many never find out they have been receiving substandard care until they change insurance, because KP won’t even tell you more expensive alternatives exist. That is what happens when your doctor is employed by your health plan. Money first; Hippocratic Oath last.
By Michael Doering
I left Kaiser some time ago because my son has epilepsy and needed a better choice of doctors to deal with his problem. My own problem was pretty simple compared to his. Shoulder trouble. I went to the Kaiser same day appointments for years and to the “sports medicine” doc, named Holmes. I also reported it to my primary care physician, a Dr. Lane. All I ever got from them was a shot of cortisone and one session with a physical therapist who said I needed to hold my shoulders back more. She was a contractor. One session. That was about 5 years ago.
Today, on another medical plan, outside the bureaucracy of Kaiser, I went to a GP called Chambers. He asked me to lift my shoulders and move my arms in one or two other positions. He saw me trying to get my wallet out of my pocket. In about ten seconds he could see the problem. He said “You have frozen shoulder.” He took an X-ray and referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. Before I left he spoke to me and said I had severe arthritis in my shoulder and probably some cartilage damage too and would probably need surgery. SO WHERE WERE YOU ON THAT ONE, KAISER? 5 years I waited in pain, unable to sleep at night.
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
May 2012
Received by email a few days ago. Unfortunately this is all too typical, and here’s why: Kaiser Permanente doctors are trained to minimize your symptoms, and pressured to always default to the least expensive treatment. In fact, nearly all of the grievances we hear about are at least partially due to this cost-saving practice. Many never find out they have been receiving substandard care until they change insurance, because KP won’t even tell you more expensive alternatives exist. That is what happens when your doctor is employed by your health plan. Money first; Hippocratic Oath last.
By Michael Doering
I left Kaiser some time ago because my son has epilepsy and needed a better choice of doctors to deal with his problem. My own problem was pretty simple compared to his. Shoulder trouble. I went to the Kaiser same day appointments for years and to the “sports medicine” doc, named Holmes. I also reported it to my primary care physician, a Dr. Lane. All I ever got from them was a shot of cortisone and one session with a physical therapist who said I needed to hold my shoulders back more. She was a contractor. One session. That was about 5 years ago.
Today, on another medical plan, outside the bureaucracy of Kaiser, I went to a GP called Chambers. He asked me to lift my shoulders and move my arms in one or two other positions. He saw me trying to get my wallet out of my pocket. In about ten seconds he could see the problem. He said “You have frozen shoulder.” He took an X-ray and referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. Before I left he spoke to me and said I had severe arthritis in my shoulder and probably some cartilage damage too and would probably need surgery. SO WHERE WERE YOU ON THAT ONE, KAISER? 5 years I waited in pain, unable to sleep at night.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Aimee Copeland: 22 staples in her leg, but no antibiotics??? What were her doctors thinking?
Against odds, woman shows signs of recovery after contracting flesh-eating bacteria
May 10, 2012
FoxNews.com
Despite the odds of survival being "slim to none," Aimee Copeland, the 24-year-old University of West Georgia graduate student battling a deadly flesh-eating virus, is showing signs of recovery and is still fighting to survive.
"Aimee has made drastic improvements today," Andy Copeland, Aimee's father, told FoxNews.com. "Yesterday, she had some setbacks. She was really on the ventilator 100 percent, but now she's only requiring 60 percent of the ventilator, and last night she moved her arms."
Copeland also said Aimee's digestive system is showing signs of improvement, which the doctors told him is an extremely good sign.
"When you're in this state, your intestines can actually atrophy," Copeland said. "So you're wondering, 'Will her intestines actually work?' Well her intestines are working just fine."
Aimee has even started moving and opening her eyes, just small miracles for the Copeland family.
"She's a little agitated, but she's showing more signs of her personality," Copeland said. "She's restrained, so she started to get angry, but she responded to me as I tried to soothe her. These are just small things, but really mean so much."
Unfortunately, despite the improvements Aimee has made the past couple of days, Copeland said she still faces a big uphill battle.
“The bacteria that attacked her has basically shut her capillaries down,” Copeland explained. “So it appears that because of the combination of the bacteria and medication she’s taking, we'll probably have to remove her hands from her wrist, as well as her foot. It's something we'll have to get over, but it's something we're going to miss.”
“We’re really just glad to have her alive, because she has such a beautiful mind,” Copeland added.
The whole ordeal started for Aimee when a zip lining accident went from bad to much, much worse. Just one week ago, Aimee was enjoying a trip kayaking down a creek with some of her friends in Carrollton, Ga. But when she stopped to ride on a homemade zip line along the water, the line snapped and cut a large gash in her left calf.
Initially, Aimee had gone to the emergency room at the Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton on Tuesday after she had received the gash. She thought the ordeal was over after the doctors stapled her leg up with 22 staples and told her to take pain medication, according to her father.
But Aimee returned to the hospital Wednesday after she continued to complain of severe pain in her leg. She was prescribed pain killers and sent home yet again.
The pain still did not subside, so a friend drove a “pale and weak” Aimee to Tanner Medical again Friday morning. When she arrived, an ER doctor diagnosed her with necrotizing fasciitis – a flesh-eating bacteria disorder of the deep layers of the skin – in her damaged leg. The bacteria had entered Aimee's body through the gash she had received during the zip lining accident...
Rare Flesh-Eating Disease Caused by Common Bacteria
By KATIE MOISSE
WSB/ABC News
May 10, 2012
..."The symptom that should ring alarm bells is serious, unremitting pain," said Schaffner, describing how the bacteria can, under rare circumstances, burrow deep into a wound and dissolve muscle and other tissue.
Doctors sent Copeland home with a prescription for painkillers, according to her Father, Andy, but the pain persisted. Copeland returned to the hospital the following day and was released again, this time with antibiotics. On Friday, three full days after the zip line accident, Copeland was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and her left leg was amputated at the hip.
"It's a miracle she made it past Friday night," Andy Copeland told ABC affiliate WSBTV.
The two main treatments for necrotizing fasciitis disease are antibiotics and surgery to remove the infected tissue, Schaffner said, stressing that bacteria left behind can cause a deadly blood infection...
May 10, 2012
FoxNews.com
Despite the odds of survival being "slim to none," Aimee Copeland, the 24-year-old University of West Georgia graduate student battling a deadly flesh-eating virus, is showing signs of recovery and is still fighting to survive.
"Aimee has made drastic improvements today," Andy Copeland, Aimee's father, told FoxNews.com. "Yesterday, she had some setbacks. She was really on the ventilator 100 percent, but now she's only requiring 60 percent of the ventilator, and last night she moved her arms."
Copeland also said Aimee's digestive system is showing signs of improvement, which the doctors told him is an extremely good sign.
"When you're in this state, your intestines can actually atrophy," Copeland said. "So you're wondering, 'Will her intestines actually work?' Well her intestines are working just fine."
Aimee has even started moving and opening her eyes, just small miracles for the Copeland family.
"She's a little agitated, but she's showing more signs of her personality," Copeland said. "She's restrained, so she started to get angry, but she responded to me as I tried to soothe her. These are just small things, but really mean so much."
Unfortunately, despite the improvements Aimee has made the past couple of days, Copeland said she still faces a big uphill battle.
“The bacteria that attacked her has basically shut her capillaries down,” Copeland explained. “So it appears that because of the combination of the bacteria and medication she’s taking, we'll probably have to remove her hands from her wrist, as well as her foot. It's something we'll have to get over, but it's something we're going to miss.”
“We’re really just glad to have her alive, because she has such a beautiful mind,” Copeland added.
The whole ordeal started for Aimee when a zip lining accident went from bad to much, much worse. Just one week ago, Aimee was enjoying a trip kayaking down a creek with some of her friends in Carrollton, Ga. But when she stopped to ride on a homemade zip line along the water, the line snapped and cut a large gash in her left calf.
Initially, Aimee had gone to the emergency room at the Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton on Tuesday after she had received the gash. She thought the ordeal was over after the doctors stapled her leg up with 22 staples and told her to take pain medication, according to her father.
But Aimee returned to the hospital Wednesday after she continued to complain of severe pain in her leg. She was prescribed pain killers and sent home yet again.
The pain still did not subside, so a friend drove a “pale and weak” Aimee to Tanner Medical again Friday morning. When she arrived, an ER doctor diagnosed her with necrotizing fasciitis – a flesh-eating bacteria disorder of the deep layers of the skin – in her damaged leg. The bacteria had entered Aimee's body through the gash she had received during the zip lining accident...
Rare Flesh-Eating Disease Caused by Common Bacteria
By KATIE MOISSE
WSB/ABC News
May 10, 2012
..."The symptom that should ring alarm bells is serious, unremitting pain," said Schaffner, describing how the bacteria can, under rare circumstances, burrow deep into a wound and dissolve muscle and other tissue.
Doctors sent Copeland home with a prescription for painkillers, according to her Father, Andy, but the pain persisted. Copeland returned to the hospital the following day and was released again, this time with antibiotics. On Friday, three full days after the zip line accident, Copeland was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and her left leg was amputated at the hip.
"It's a miracle she made it past Friday night," Andy Copeland told ABC affiliate WSBTV.
The two main treatments for necrotizing fasciitis disease are antibiotics and surgery to remove the infected tissue, Schaffner said, stressing that bacteria left behind can cause a deadly blood infection...
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