Kaiser Hawaii losing members, money

August 17, 2007, from Pacific Business News:

Kaiser posts loss, lower membership

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii lost money in the second quarter, the result of rising medical expenses and lower membership.

The state's largest health maintenance organization reported Friday it had a net loss of $3.2 million this year, compared with profit of $1.5 million for the same period last year.

Once again, operating expenses, which totaled $226 million in the second quarter, outpaced operating revenue, which totaled $218.3 million.

Membership fell to 219,000 this year from 225,000 last year.

Full Story

Clean sweep at Kaiser Hawaii!

[Kaiser Papers Hawaii bids a not so fond Aloha to fraud and corruption at Kaiser Hawaii, and a joyous welcome to a new senior executive team.  It's a beautiful thing when karma finally kicks in. Three of the people below personally participated in defrauding the editor of this web site, which wouldn't exist otherwise, and we would like nothing better than to be able to retire the site all together as soon as it is no longer necessary. We invite the new president to contact us any time if he or she would like to know at least two more names that belong on this list.]

November 4, 2006, from Pacific Business News:

 

Kaiser Hawaii president leaving

 

by Kristen Consillio

Reporter

 

Jan Head, regional president of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, told managers this week that she is leaving the state's largest health maintenance organization for retirement early next year.

 

An official announcement from Kaiser is expected to be released on Nov. 8.

Head follows at least seven senior executives who have announced their retirement or have already left the company over the past year.

 

The following are the senior executives leaving or who have already left Kaiser:

 

Mike Chaffin, regional medical director, announced he is retiring after a replacement is found.

 

Gladys Ching, regional clinics administrator, is retiring at the end of the year.

 

Arnold Matsunobu, vice president of finance, retired earlier this year.

 

Allison Maney, acting vice president of finance, is leaving to the Mainland at the end of the year (the position was temporary).

 

Norman Quon, director of facilities, resigned earlier this year.

 

Claudia Schmidt, vice president of business development, resigned earlier this year.

 

Kaki Jennings, vice president of human resources, retired in August.

 

Other managers who have left Kaiser include Herman Brandt, director of labor relations, who retired in September; Pam Hinsdale, controller, who resigned and works part-time; and Bob Matsuwaka, also in finance, who retired earlier this year.

The news of Head's retirement comes days after Kaiser announced that it will lay off up to 50 workers by the end of the year in an effort to reduce rising costs that are exceeding revenue.

 

The health plan says it was forced to restructure and implement cost-reduction initiatives because of increasing costs for hospitalization and outside hospital medical services, as well as the rising costs of technology and shrinking government reimbursements.

Kaiser to lay off up to 50 workers

November 3, 2006, from the Star-Bulletin:

An official says no physicians will lose their jobs as part of the restructuring

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, unable to bridge the growing gap between its budget and expenses, plans to lay off up to 50 employees before the end of the year as part of a statewide restructuring.

Hawaii's largest health-maintenance organization also warned its employees in an internal memo Wednesday that it anticipates more restructuring and cost-cutting next year. Kaiser said it was conducting an in-depth analysis of its jobs and services to make sure it was meeting the needs of its 225,000 members.

Kaiser said this year's layoffs will include outsourcing 15 transcription jobs on Oahu, as well as reducing management and administrative positions. None of Kaiser's physicians will lose their jobs and, as of yesterday, no nurses had been notified of layoffs, Kaiser said.

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Of interest to Kaiser Hawaii employees

Featuring an internal Kaiser Hawaii Human Resources memo :

Evidence! How Kaiser HR Treats Employees Who Complain

Update 7/3/06: More dish from Kaiser Hawaii

National Labor Relations Board alleges Kaiser Permanente Hawaii illegally interfered with nurses union

January 31, 2006, from the Star-Bulletin:

Vote to pick union for nurses delayed

Kaiser hospital allegedly interfered with the process

By Stewart Yerton

A vote that could give a California nurses union a substantial foothold in Hawaii has been postponed following a federal labor agency's allegations that Kaiser Foundation Hospital illegally interfered with the union's ability to campaign.

An election to oust the Hawaii Nurses Association and replace it with the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association had been scheduled for the week of Feb. 6.

But according to correspondence from the National Labor Relations Board's Honolulu office, the NLRB has postponed the vote indefinitely after finding merit to allegations that hospital management engaged in "unlawful restrictions on access/distribution" on three occasions.

The board also stated that certain hospital policies amounted to "overly-broad and restrictive loitering and no-solicitation/no-distribution policies."

The NLRB has not yet filed a complaint against Kaiser. However, NLRB correspondence states that it has found merit to charges filed by the California nurses union, and the NLRB plans to file a complaint as soon as today if the hospital refuses to settle, said Tom Cestare, officer in charge of the NLRB's Honolulu office.

Full Story

Nurses: Staffing too low at Kaiser Permanente

December 8, 2005, from KHON:

Gina Mangieri

It's an issue affecting anyone needing health care -- nurse shortages, and employees who feel stretched to the limit.

Nearly 1,000 nurses are holding out on renewing contracts with Kaiser Permanente-- not over of pay, but because they say staffing is too low.

The nurse union is holding a "safe staffing rally" at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center.

Nurses say there are far too few of them taking care of too many, and they warn it puts patients in danger. Kaiser says they're adequately staffed and havequality surveys to prove it.

Kaiser adds assistants are available based on the needs of each shift.

But the union says some nurses are taking on more patients than they can safely care for -- seven or eight at a time, plus working long hours to cover staff shortages.

Full Story

More on the Kaiser Quality Rating Sham

Kaiser's business, government rate increase approved

December 7, 2005, from the Honolulu Advertiser:

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, the state's No. 2 health insurer, has received state approval for a 3 percent increase in premiums for Hawai'i businesses and government agencies next year.

Full Story

Kaiser will cut off coverage to 2,000 nonmembers

December 2, 2005, from Pacific Business News - Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, the state's largest HMO, will cut off coverage to about 2,000 nonmembers and begin turning away new nonmembers next month because of a shortage of beds at its Moanalua hospital.

Letters were to be sent Thursday informing the nonmembers they have 30 days after receipt to find treatment elsewhere. Those nonmembers can either sign up to become Kaiser members or seek treatment at another hospital.

Full Story

EEOC files suit against Kaiser Hawaii for pregnancy discrimination

August 31, 2005, from Pacific Business News:  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Kaiser Permanente Hawaii for allegedly discriminating against a pregnant nurse in 2003.

The commission filed suit Wednesday under the 1964 Civil Rights Act alleging that a nursing supervisor at Kaiser's Wailuku Clinic on Maui withdrew an offer for promotion less than 24 hours after Margaret McIlroy disclosed that she was pregnant. View full story here

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii penalized $1.9 million for defrauding Medicaid & Medicare – Whistleblower receives $225,000

April 15, 2005, from Pacific Business News: The U.S. and state attorneys general have penalized Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group $1.9 million for making improper Medicare and Medicaid claims.

Full Story

Read the Corporate Integrity Agreement between Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and the Office of the Inspector General here:

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/cia/agreements/The_Hawaii_Region_of_Kaiser_04_18_05.pdf

Patients or "Population Targets"? – Kaiser Permanente's $40 Million "Thrive" Image Campaign

For more about Kaiser Permanente's Thrive false advertising campaign, visitKaiser Thrive Exposed

Ever wonder what Kaiser Permanente does with those hefty premium increases that come around every year like clockwork? If Kaiser and its multi-million dollar image consultants had their way, Kaiser members would believe it's all about the drug companies, unions and the insurance commissioner's refusal to blindly approve every outrageous rate hike request. It certainly doesn't help matters that politicians and the media buy into the hype, but the question we often ask is why doesn't anyone ever challenge Kaiser's wasteful spending habits?

For example, earlier this year Kaiser paid $40,000,000 to national advertising firm, Campbell-Ewald Co. of Warren, Michigan, for an image campaign designed to change the public's perception of Kaiser, and to reverse a national decline in membership. Of course it may make sense to you and me that Kaiser's membership wouldn't be suffering if members were receiving quality care, timely appointments with real doctors instead of nurse practitioners, and good service.  But rather than put that money back into patient care and training, Kaiser has chosen to invest premium dollars in the mere appearance of a caring, personal and superior Kaiser experience. "Image" by definition is a mental picture of something not real.

And what did Campbell-Ewald discover for $40 million?: 

"75% of people who are offered Kaiser Permanente probably or definitely would not consider [Kaiser] for their healthcare coverage." (Attention Kaiser Executives: I could have told you this for free!).

And the end result?:

"Doctors’ roles are shifted to the last line of defense" (Don't expect that appointment any time soon!).

Read the entire ad campaign, due to come out shortly, and find out if you and your family are in Kaiser's "target population." At Managed Care Watch we believe the American Public is too smart to fall for this rubbish.  It's social engineering, pure and simple, and it's appalling.

Selected quotes about Kaiser's "Thrive" (false) advertising campaign, from Kaiser's own internal Brand Advertising FAQ:

"The company portrayed in these ads is not the KP that I know. We spend most of our time taking care of sick people. And KP doesn’t do much to help its own employees ‘thrive,’ either. Do we really live up to the slick marketing image in these ads?”

"...the campaign is expensive – about $40 million for the next 12 months (the average 30-second commercial during prime time costs $116,000)."

"It is ultimately even more expensive to let opinions of our brand languish or deteriorate with nonmembers."

"The ad is clearly a statement of KP’s beliefs and philosophy rather than a list of covered benefits or services. The ad does not specifically prompt the viewer to become a KP member. In fact, the language in the ad does not mention a 'plan' or 'coverage' at all."

"If you encounter the rare patient who takes the ads more literally, you can explain that many of the activities referenced in the ad are intended to be part of member self-care rather than services covered by KP insurance and provided at KP facilities."

"A reasonable consumer would not conclude that KP covers everything mentioned in the ad."

Read the internal document for yourself. Then why not give the following Kaiser Permanente Hawaii executives a call to tell them you are not as stupid as they think you are:

Janice Head President, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (Hawaii Region) (808) 432-5955

Michael Chaffin, M.D. President, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group (808) 432-0000

George Halvorson CEO, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program (510) 271-5800

For more internal Kaiser Permanente Thrive documents see Kaiser Thrive Exposed.

HealthConnect: Kaiser Swindling Congress

[Editor: HealthConnect is Kaiser Permanente's multi-billion dollar, supposedly new and state of the art electronic medical records system, which according to this article by a former Kaiser IT employee is none of the things Kaiser has claimed it is (except for the multi-billion dollar part).  In typical Kaiser take-over-the-world fashion, wasting premium dollars is not enough.  Kaiser is attempting to recoup development expenses by selling this archaic and clumsy system to the government as a national patient database.  Issues of value, efficiency, honesty and patient privacy abound.  For more background see these media reports.]

Recently Kaiser has been trying to position itself as the "authority" on the automated medical record, and Kaiser executives have been trying to sell Congress on their amazing HealthConnect system.

The problem is HealthConnect is not a system: it's a fancy new label for a motley collection of old "legacy" applications combined with some new components from a vendor called Epic. The "Epic" modules were originally billed as the Automated Medical Record, but Kaiser was chiefly interested in the billing module, so they settled for a less ambitious project of combining a few Epic modules with the variety of workhorse systems that have been in place for years. It's an act of deception to present this situation to Congress as either a new, cutting edge system (even Epic is based on archaic technology) or a fully integrated system. View full story here

Judge Permits Victims' Families to Sue Kaiser Permanente Hawaii for Xerox Killings

May 26, 2004, from KITV 4 News:

Doctor Says He Forgot About Uyesugi

It's been five years since Byran Uyesugi murdered seven Xerox coworkers, but the victims' families are still seeking damages in court. On Wednesday, a judge ruled that the widows can sue Kaiser Medical because a psychiatrist there admitted he forgot about Uyesugi. View full story here

If they want me to choose my own doctor why do I never get to see him?

Have you, like many of the Kaiser members we have heard from lately, been left shaking your head after watching Kaiser's latest commercial advertisements proclaiming "We WANT you to choose your own doctor"? Have you said to yourself , "Well yes, they did let me choose my own doctor, so why do I never get to see him?"

Kaiser members know from experience that they will not be allowed to see their doctors, but will be required to see Nurse Practitioners and other less skilled healthcare workers at every opportunity. This is Kaiser's modus operandi practically across the board. For example, childbirths are not attended by your OB/GYN, but by inexperienced residents on call. Anesthesia is administered by improperly supervised nurse anesthetists, without an anesthesiologist present as required by the guidelines of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg and none of this is disclosed to the patient.

LESS SKILL = MORE PROFIT!

Acknowledgments-   We would like to personally thank Dr. Geoff Galbraith - Vice President, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, Quality Improvement Management - for inspiring us to create this website. The site owner's medical problems can be fixed.  However, in the course of doing research for this website she was introduced to other people who were not so lucky.