Kaiser Permanente Reviews 270

Nurse visit for me and my spouse to receive a covid booster. As always, the nurse was competent and kind. I told her of a scheduled visit to Baseline Clinic next week for an ear ache. She asked why Baseline rather than Rock Creek. When I told her the schedulers were unable to find a slot at RC, she volunteered(and was able) to find a time at RC and cancel the Baseline apptmt. She also examined my ear and told me it was occluded with wax and advised using debrox for several days before the appointment. Otherwise, she said, they may have been unable to clear my ear in one visit. Kaiser has it's problems but never with the clinicians! They are all top tier care givers!

My family doctor asked me to do a colonoscopy test as soon as possible since they found blood in my stool test. He said someone will call me to schedule an appointment but that has never happened. After I called Kaiser to make that appointment, I was told May June and July's appointments have been booked up. I will have to wait until July to make an August's appointment. My question is why do I have to wait until July to make the August's appointment? Why can't you do it now? If someone is in danger and need that kind of test, I will have to follow your speed and your stupid way to do it? It is ridiculous to even make an everyday appointment which also has to follow the same rule. You need to change the way you run this business.

I was diagnosed with a small skin cancer on my scalp in March. It’s now May and they still have not been able to provide the procedure to remove it. Very poor services.

April did a fantastic job during the Nurse Visit for my wife and I. She was professional, engaging, knowledgeable, and so well organized.

I am broker in California and Kaiser has terrible, awful broker support. I have client that was on Autopay, received March notice for $514. After 1 hour and 17 minutes on phone, Kaiser online broker support is non existent, they told me my client had to login and maybe re-instate.

I would give less than one star if i could. Kaiser does not allow broker to review clients they have enrolled. After enrolling, Kaiser removes broker from existence. I have client call, email to inquire and i try to help, but unable. Wow, awful broker support for IFP

Saw Dr. Suzette Lee,DPM,DPM in March 2023 from a referral. Very understanding and explained everything about my pain Ann received a diagnosis and what I need to do in relationship to my podiatry injury. Dr. Had very good bedside manner at the Culver Marina clinic on Washington:)

Kaiser will blatantly lie to extract money. They have no interest in providing "health" or "care". Having had several medical insurance providers, I can assure, Kaiser is the worst.

Kaiser's ongoing negotiation with their therapist affects my mental health enormously as a patient. I have been calling them occasionally, and they suggest an outside therapist, but I can not find an in-person one. Is it my responsibility to find a therapist for myself? Why am I paying you thousands of dollars monthly? This is ridiculous. Accept the therapist's needs immediately; we know you have the resources!

30+ years with Kaiser, was admitted the beginning of 2020 for 3 days and was given an antibiotic that poisoned me a black label antibiotic called Cipro and it has permanently disabled me physically and mentally. I'm one of millions yet Kaiser doctors or board refuses accountability. Refuse to even listen to me. I've been diagnosed with a list of medical problems except for floraquinones toxicity of what I suffer from. Ive changed doctor's many times in search of a doctor willing to listen and care enough do a little research, nothing! This place makes me so mad how we are treated. We are numbers not people to them. Good place to go to if you want to experience the problems with US healthcare all under one roof.

Kaiser Permanente has a chaperone policy that exists as an internal memo. It is unavailable to the public, but it’s alleged contents are used to deprive women of their rights on a daily basis. The policy is cited in order to enforce the presence of the chaperone, but it is also used to deprive women of bodily autonomy, religious, and conscious objections. It is exploitative in nature and compels women to expose their genitalia to non essential secondary staff against their will. In fact, Kaiser conducts its exams as if women are inmates who relinquish their human and Civil Rights when they enter Kaiser’s premises.

In my experience, I asked for a modesty accommodation, which is the right of any woman who does not wish to expose themselves to a chaperone or anyone else in a hospital setting. The doctor lied about the policy being a legal code and proceeded to allow the chaperone to have full access to my private area against my will while I openly protested. I ,literally, waved and flailed to back the chaperone up while I repeatedly asked for my modesty and religious accommodation to be respected.

The chaperone and doctor behaved with gross indifference towards my physical and mental health and violated a very scared tenet of my faith. I have complained, but received harsh and continued dishonest treatment and information from Kaiser’s senior gynecological staff.

If you’re not religiously observant, you still have a right to opt/out of utilizing a chaperone. However, Kaiser’s policy and implementation functions to deprive of women their basic rights.the doctors repeatedly assert that the chaperone must be legally present, and they tell you that you have no right to refuse.

Whenever a policy has no legal precedent, you have a right to opt-out. During my appointment, this fact was concealed from me. I was given the impression that the chaperone was required by law to observe the doctor’s hands, but I continued to decline her access. When my exam, the chaperone positioned herself in directly view of my agape vagina, and the doctor encouraged her by sitting silently as I asked for modesty accommodatoon to be observed.

The Department of Health and Human Services states that a person can not be compelled to engage in or accept treatment that violates their conscious or religious practices. However, the physicians at Kaiser will assert that they cant treat you, rather than respect your wishes.

This policy is used to victimize all woman in order to indemnify Kaiser against future claims of sexual assault. However, it has decided that your rights, dignity, and health should be risked for it’s own financial protection.

I was so violated during my exam that I now require trauma therapy.

Patients have rights and the Chaperone Policy violates Kaiser’s own posted policy relating to a patients rights to be involved in decisions regarding their treatment, your ability to opt out, and your absolute right to be treated with dignity and respect.

I was a member of Kaiser Permanente for 50 years and it has changed for the worse! I got out and I am glad I did! The quality of care has become inferior and even my own doctor told me he can not do a proper job due to the workload. I had a horribly botched surgery at Kaiser and they are worthless when something goes wrong.

After waiting one month for a echo because of chest pain my appointment was cancelled and they wanted me to to reschedule. I guess they would rather treat a heart attack or maybe just hoping I will die. I'm to the age where it's likely to become more expensive for insurance

Worst Insurance and staff ever. I had Kaiser for few months in 2022, but i got so disappointed with them yhat i had to change my insurance for 2023.
All I can say, they are waste of money, time, energy and everything.
Feel bad for patients who are stuck with them!

My inbox on the Kaiser website will not load. I know I have a message from my care provider but I cannot access it. Very frustrating.

They should change the name of urgent care to slow care in seattle. They are the worst. I was covid positive and sick and waited for more than to see the doctor yesterday. There is no care.

Background - I’ve been with KP Mid-Atlantic something like 40 years; from their inception in the Washington DC region. In those 4 decades, I have had 3 spectacular primary physicians including my current doc of 25 years; 1 awful and 1 horrendous. Fortunately, KP allows a patient to switch physicians. I am a hospital Pharmacist by training and have known many physicians both through my work and as a patient. I feel a bit better qualified to judge physicians because of my training and background (I’ve worked in 5 hospitals and 33+ years with many physicians in the US Food and Drug Administration).

The Good - I am a big fan of the HMO concept. It is to Kaiser’s financial advantage to do the LEAST to me in order to keep me healthy. One example: I once injured my little toe. Kaiser did NOT x-ray the toe because treatment was the same whether or not it was broken. There was no medical need to expose me to x-rays! A pay-for-service physician WOULD have x-rayed the toe to pad his or her bill.

In addition to 3 spectacular primary physicians, I have had several superb specialists including a cardiologist who saved my life 18+ years ago. Currently, I have a wonderful cardiologist, dermatologist, gastroenterologist and podiatrist. Sadly, I had to suffer through 3 terrible gastroenterologists before I got to this one!

Kaiser STILL has lower mortality and morbidity (hospitalization) rates than other forms of health insurance. I studied them in grad school circa 1971. That is probably the single most important fact about them. HOWEVER, in my opinion, care for non-life threatening “quality of life” issues has diminished.

The Kaiser Mid-Atlantic mail order Pharmacy works very well.

The Bad - KP Mid-Atlantic has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. Notably over the last decade. I’ve been told that some of these negative changes are due to a massive influx of patients due to Medicare expansion. While I am glad that many more people are now receiving quality health care, I regret that my care may have suffered. I also believe that Kaiser Mid-Atlantic swallowed several small, local, health plans before Medicare expansion. I am not able to confirm this belief.

This influx of patients, without accompanying increase in medical personnel, resulted in difficulty getting specialty appointments in non-emergent situations. For example, two weeks ago (in October) I wanted a follow-up appointment with my Dermatologist for a long standing scalp problem. The soonest available was the first week in January more than two months hence!

This is true for all specialties. It is a bit easier to schedule an appointment with my primary physician, but scheduling via routine procedures will still produce an appointment date a week or two ahead.

To be fair, it is always possible to get a fairly quick appointment with another qualified physician. In addition, Kaiser has their own “urgent care” facility for walk in patients.

One of my biggest complaints concerns the bureaucratic aspect of Kaiser. Patients are told to message Member Services for a variety of issues and questions. My experience with this system has been dismal, at best. Example: I messaged with a SUGGESTION that could save Kaiser printing and mailing expenses. Somehow, that was interpreted as a COMPLAINT that ended up with some outside company that mediates Medicare complaints.

13 months ago, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation likely related to severe sleep apnea. I then underwent two sleep studies to determine the extent of my sleep apnea and to identify an appropriate medical device to treat my condition. WITHOUT ANY INPUT from ME or information to me, the patient, a device was ordered and delivered to me. The sleep specialist then assigned to me refused or was unable to answer questions. I adapted to sleeping with the mask and device without difficulty. BUT, I returned the device because I did not like the billing practices of the supplier of the device. I suspected them of committing fraud. Then began a many months long struggle on my part to buy outright a device UNDER MY KAISER/MEDICARE coverage (between Kaiser and Medicare, I pay a LOT for my medical insurance). Until last week, NO ONE at Kaiser told me anything other than NO. Finally, I was told that Kaiser ONLY has a “relationship” with that one company. Besides that I suspect the company is cheating both Medicare and Kaiser, this is PATHETIC!

I am currently trying to purchase the device outside of Kaiser but through Medicare.

Summary - Ten years ago and before, I uniformly gave Kaiser-Permanente Mid-Atlantic Region the highest ratings. NOT TODAY and not again until and unless they hire more physicians. They are supposed to build a new physical facility not far from my home, that will help IF they have suitable personne

Kaiser is the worst for health care. If you have a choice in the matter do not come here. They don’t care about your health at all. I’ve had issues and they do labs and if the labs show nothing they never follow up. Never mind that I’m having strange symptoms my thyroid level is good so it must be in my head. They also do that with my child. Give a few labs and then ignore you. I’ve also had friends and family members with complications from surgery or routine colonoscopy. Did I mention my first pcp here told me not to worry about skin cancer cuz only white people get it? Yeah it’s that bad here

After a recent app't. in lieu of the promised "home rounding" I'm supposed to have, I was examined by Dr. Faulkner for various things Kaiser/CO have neglected to offer care for. Strangely, even though I'm more than 7 months overdue for a COVID booster and I'm now told flu shots were readily available, neither were given me at the time.

This review was solicited by Kaiser at "...writeareview-co" although no direct Kaiser page exists under that URL.

1) been with them like 15 years on autopay, then they set up a new autopay system that I input my info into; it screws up, they don't get my premium and cancel my insurance saying I requested my insurance be canceled (which is a lie). 2) they force you to use a voice recognition phone system which FAILS TO RECOGNIZE a simple "one" answer; kicked me off an auto callback call, forcing me to wait in a long phone queue. morons.

I’m a member in San Diego. My experience with Kaiser in the first half of 2022 and ultimately being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer was the WORST medical experience of my life.

Even getting through on the scheduling line to make an appointment is an ordeal. For my initial appointment with Urology, it took a total of five phone calls with about 30 minutes of time on hold before I could even get through. Because of concerns about Quality of Care with the first urologist I saw (Dr Matthew Lux), I filed complaints both with Kaiser as well as the Medical Board of California. The icing on the cake with Dr. Lux was when he sent me a patient portal email letting me know about my metastatic prostate cancer. Worst day of my life made far worse by a callous, uncaring doctor. The whole Urology department operates like a factory with its whole purpose being to move patients through the system as quickly as possible without regard to providing quality, compassionate medical care.

In addition to the issues with Urology, I’ve had major delays in getting imaging studies for cancer staging until I pushed back saying it was unacceptable to have to wait a month for these studies.

Kaiser Grievance Operations is a total joke. You get from letters about your complaints but (despite having phone numbers, fax numbers and mailing addresses to get more information), it is impossible to reach anyone. They never respond even to certified US Mail. They either don’t return phone messages or their voicemail boxes are full and not accepting more messages.

Because of my experiences with the staff and doctors in San Diego Urology as well as the total lack of response from Grievance Operations, I’ll never recommend Kaiser to anyone.

Healthcare should never be a crap shoot where you worry about the care you are getting or have to fight for timely, basic care. But, with Kaiser that is often what it is. With Kaiser, your life and health is nothing more than a commodity to be processed.