Comments on: HealthConnect outages endangering patients? http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/ Kaiser Permanente: Failure to Thrive -- A Managed Care Watch Web Site Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:30:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Maria Garcia http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-22395 Maria Garcia Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:13:14 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-22395 What about the poor Kaiser doctors who spend all their time typing what transcriptionist used to do? It takes time away from patient care, medical education and puts them at risk for injury and disability. The number of Kaiser physician workman's compenstation claims from repetitive stress and spine injuries has sky-rocketed since Health Connect was implented. Sure they are saving money on transcriptionists but all these doctors are being injured doing clerical work that they didn't bargain or train for in medical school. They ought to invest in worker/doctor safety as much as they do in their IT infrastructure. Also patient's find it impersonal when doctors are typing away and focused on the computer screen during the exam. So much for thriving when their Docs are being temporarily and permanently disabled huh? Wonder what that costs? What about the poor Kaiser doctors who spend all their time typing what transcriptionist used to do? It takes time away from patient care, medical education and puts them at risk for injury and disability. The number of Kaiser physician workman’s compenstation claims from repetitive stress and spine injuries has sky-rocketed since Health Connect was implented. Sure they are saving money on transcriptionists but all these doctors are being injured doing clerical work that they didn’t bargain or train for in medical school.
They ought to invest in worker/doctor safety as much as they do in their IT infrastructure. Also patient’s find it impersonal when doctors are typing away and focused on the computer screen during the exam. So much for thriving when their Docs are being temporarily and permanently disabled huh? Wonder what that costs?

]]> By: Mind your Business Application Coordinator http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21591 Mind your Business Application Coordinator Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:27:52 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21591 "Health Connect also is costing a lot more than anticipated. Its current price tag is more than double its original $1.8-billion estimate, calculated in February 2003. Halverson said costs rose in part because Kaiser decided to add electronic medical records in all its hospitals later that year. The board approved a $3.2-billion budget in September 2003. But officials can't fully explain why the budget figure they cite now is $800 million higher." I'll tell you why HealthConnect is costing a lot more than anticipated. It's because the individuals in charge of the budget are idiots who spend the money on promoting idiots in roles they are not qualified for. The BACs who support the clinics and the department staff get stuck eating pizza in the implementation lunch meetings, instead of quality food they used to provide before going over the budget. What a way to THRIVE! The budget is mismanaged by poor planning, poor deployment of BACs, and poor utilization of the funds. “Health Connect also is costing a lot more than anticipated. Its current price tag is more than double its original $1.8-billion estimate, calculated in February 2003. Halverson said costs rose in part because Kaiser decided to add electronic medical records in all its hospitals later that year. The board approved a $3.2-billion budget in September 2003. But officials can’t fully explain why the budget figure they cite now is $800 million higher.”

I’ll tell you why HealthConnect is costing a lot more than anticipated. It’s because the individuals in charge of the budget are idiots who spend the money on promoting idiots in roles they are not qualified for. The BACs who support the clinics and the department staff get stuck eating pizza in the implementation lunch meetings, instead of quality food they used to provide before going over the budget. What a way to THRIVE! The budget is mismanaged by poor planning, poor deployment of BACs, and poor utilization of the funds.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21320 anonymous Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:40:11 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21320 Just to let you know here that I was blacklisted and refused service in person by Alliance Medical center in Healdsburg, California today and they kept bringing up Kaiser to me. Real cute! Just to let you know here that I was blacklisted and refused service in person by Alliance Medical center in Healdsburg, California today and they kept bringing up Kaiser to me. Real cute!

]]> By: Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed » George Halvorson: “We really did screw up” http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21075 Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed » George Halvorson: “We really did screw up” Sat, 19 May 2007 19:06:53 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-21075 [...] 5/19/07: Kaiser insider Andrew Brewer, a former HealthConnect employee and 25-year IT professional, discusses what he terms "Kaiser's methodological weaknesses" [...] [...] 5/19/07: Kaiser insider Andrew Brewer, a former HealthConnect employee and 25-year IT professional, discusses what he terms “Kaiser’s methodological weaknesses” [...]

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-20873 Anonymous Thu, 03 May 2007 23:57:05 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-20873 Kaiser uses the intra-ER Medical Record Number system not just for "medical purposes" or "patient safety" but for blacklisting and discrimination of any patients who have filed complaints, "made waves of any kind," and who unknowingly break the rule that you cannot report symptoms in more than one body system at the ER, or you are instantly treated like a dangerous psych case. Kaiser uses the intra-ER Medical Record Number system not just for “medical purposes” or “patient safety” but for blacklisting and discrimination of any patients who have filed complaints, “made waves of any kind,” and who unknowingly break the rule that you cannot report symptoms in more than one body system at the ER, or you are instantly treated like a dangerous psych case.

]]> By: Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed » Happy Birthday Lehna Jordann Brewer http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-14279 Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed » Happy Birthday Lehna Jordann Brewer Mon, 05 Mar 2007 18:36:11 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-14279 [...] Update March 5, 2007: Lehna’s father speaks out about how deeply the death of his daughter has impacted the lives of her family — by former Kaiser HealthConnect employee, Andrew Brewer. [...] [...] Update March 5, 2007: Lehna’s father speaks out about how deeply the death of his daughter has impacted the lives of her family — by former Kaiser HealthConnect employee, Andrew Brewer. [...]

]]> By: Christine Erickson http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-13445 Christine Erickson Tue, 20 Feb 2007 05:04:44 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-13445 There may be a few inaccuracies which any medical record may be subject to from time to time, regardless of the healthcare entity. The real scandal being expressed is mismanagement of billions of dollars, on par with ENRON. Go ahead and infer from there. . . There may be a few inaccuracies which any medical record may be subject to from time to time, regardless of the healthcare entity. The real scandal being expressed is mismanagement of billions of dollars, on par with ENRON. Go ahead and infer from there. . .

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-13234 Anonymous Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:44:33 +0000 http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/02/15/healthconnect-outages-endangering-patients/#comment-13234 Problems with electronic medical records put patients at serious risk due to possible inaccuracies with the display of accurate patient history. Add this in combination with Kaiser's negligent business model already in place and this brings to the patient a world of hurt, negligence and coverups. This is just another way for Kaiser to invite disaster and when that disaster happens, it will make it all too easy to go in and alter and delete critical medical records so they can avoid arbitration. Also, look at all the money wasted on poor planning and judgement. This would have been well spent on revamping their cost-cutting, greedy, business practices aleady in place. Problems with electronic medical records put patients at serious risk due to possible inaccuracies with the display of accurate patient history. Add this in combination with Kaiser’s negligent business model already in place and this brings to the patient a world of hurt, negligence and coverups. This is just another way for Kaiser to invite disaster and when that disaster happens, it will make it all too easy to go in and alter and delete critical medical records so they can avoid arbitration. Also, look at all the money wasted on poor planning and judgement. This would have been well spent on revamping their cost-cutting, greedy, business practices aleady in place.

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