hmmmm, I most certainly WISH it had been this simple. That I was just ignorant and lazy and this is why Kaiser killed my Baby and then destroyed and tampered with my medical records so the case could not be arbitrated.

By the way Tommy C., I am a DISGRUNTLED VICTIM of Kaiser and I have spent 21 years working in the PR, Advertising and Marketing industries. I know all about hype. From my own personal experience, Kaiser is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to doing what they promise in their advertising. This is about as false as false advertising can get.

Thanks

Regarding the HealthConnect posts, which is what I assume you’re referring to as hearsay: we did receive multiple confirming complaints from independent sources, some of which were unimpeachable. Even so, it’s pretty obvious there are differing opinions and experiences within the project. People aren’t dumb, they know to take that kind of thing with a grain of salt.

Sometimes it takes something shocking like that before management will make the necessary changes, and Kaiser is well known for not addressing problems until they become public knowledge and affect its precious image (just ask the kidney patients).

As a gesture of good faith, I will go in and shorten all of the last names to initials. I might not be able to get to it until the weekend though.

Let’s continue numbering our points, shall we?

1. You didn’t read the CNA report, did you? And Kaiser does have shareholders. 1/3 of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program is the for-profit Permanente Medical Groups, and the doctor partners are the shareholders. Half of the non-profit arms’ “not for profits” go back to the for-profit medical groups, which creates a conflict of interest and implied incentive to deny care. Kaiser’s organizational structure is deliberately misleading, and the “health plan and health care provider in one” model breeds all kinds of corruption.

2. Again, I can only speak for what we post on the blog, and my own personal comments, but all you have to do to verify what I said about legitimate news sources is to browse through our archives. Everything is linked to its source. Opinion stuff, and personal web sites are easily identifiable as such.

3. Yes I have worked in a PR department as a matter of fact. I have also personally seen Kaiser’s issues management team twist the facts from incidents that I have personally witnessed. I’m sorry, but you really are wrong about this.

Tom, Kaiser was just fined $3 million for poor handling of patient complaints, and according to all reports the problems are systemic. People who have been put through that wringer are angry, and justifiably so. I try to understand where Kaiser employees such as yourself are coming from, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask that you spend a few minutes putting yourself in the other side’s shoes. A little empathy goes a long way.

I’m not an unreasonable person, and I honestly do welcome the dialog.

Best regards,

You are correct. Some of you do but for the most part you fit in a back handed statement about his experience or some other statement meant to give the appearance of a good hearted statement until you get to the end of it. I know that some people on this site do hope it enacts change for the better of Kaiser as a whole but for the most part this is simply a place for disgruntled employee’s or former employees to air their personal issues with Kaiser when they are most likely the ones that brought it on themselves. I do not argue any reports of malpractice since I do not know enough about them to dispute them. However, being one that works for Kaiser, the people on this site are generally, but not always the people who were fired for one reason or another and they feel wronged even though THEY are the idiots who stole something, defrauded the company in one way or another, had major attendance issues and don’t see a problem with arriving late to work on a regular basis, or just have a bad attitude in general so they were no like or wanted in the clinic. It is indeed sad but very very true.

In dispute of your points:

1. If Kaiser was a non-profit in name only that would mean they would have share holders who get paid out. Since that doesn’t happen, I guess your point isn’t relevant. They reinvest the money into the company making it a not-for-profit organization.

2. That your opinion and since you have no supplied any facts to dispute it, I will continue to believe what I know. The first negative source is used whether hear say or fact. I know very controversial postings on here are driven off of hearsay since I have been present for several of the instances stated and taken out of context. Some good, hard working, extremely competent people have had their name slandered on her for no reason other than that person’s jealousy.

3. Your 3rd statement proves all my points about the common posted on this site. Do you work for a PR firm? Have you ever? Do you know anyone who does? Why don’t you find someone who does and ask them the best way to look good in the eyes of people. Is it making up lies and covering up controversy? Probably not.

I appreciate the banter.

Have a good evening. :o)

You misrepresent what we said, then you go on to tell us you know what we’re “going to say,” and you’re wrong about that too. Moreover, accusing others of ranting in a rant of your own comes across as just a little bit hypocritical.

A few points:

1. Kaiser is non-profit in name only, and this we know for a fact. Read the CNA’s report on Kaiser for a more detailed discussion on the “distinction without a difference” between Kaiser and for-profit health plans. Yes, we know it’s several years old, and some of the details have changed, but the important points are the same.

2. Most of what we post is from legitimate news sources, and not “the first website we can find.”

3. And yes, Kaiser’s PR staff does sit around trying to think up ways to manipulate public perception. That’s what PR departments do.

I’m sure you believe what you said here today, Tom, but unfortunately that doesn’t make it true.

Have a nice day

All kidding aside, I do hope they get the problems sorted out for the sake of the patients and providers. I am willing to give all of the new execs the benefit of the doubt until they prove they don’t deserve it.

I can’t remember all of the details, but I believe Halvorson got caught in a lie for claiming Kaiser doesn’t outsource medical transcription (I could be wrong about the job) to India, when it turned out that he knew damn well that the contractor they had hired most certainly did. He was trying to weasel around the truth on a technicality like he always does.

There are also a couple of articles by David Lazarus (linked in our sidebar) about Kaiser outsourcing tech support jobs to India. This scares the crap out of me. Has anyone ever tried to get actual tech support from a call center in India? I have, and the nicest thing I have to say about them is that they are less than supportive. I try to avoid companies without American tech support whenever possible.