(CBS 5) OAKLAND – State regulators said Wednesday they will oversee Kaiser Permanente’s troubled kidney transplant program in Northern California during an investigation into whether patients’ lives were endangered by botched paperwork and administrative errors.
The state decision follows a series of reports from CBS 5 Investigates, which first uncovered problems with the San Francisco transplant program run by Kaiser, the nation’s largest HMO.
In addition to state oversight, Kaiser will pay for kidney transplants at outside hospitals for patients who are dissatisfied with Kaiser’s program.
“The charges about patients being lost in the mix and patients being passed over for a kidney were of extreme concern,” said Cindy Ehnes, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care. “We felt both those concerns warranted immediate intervention.”
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From CorpHQ: DMHC Says Shutting Down Kaiser Kidney Deathtrap “Not Necessary”