Why are Kaiser patients still waiting 2 months between therapy sessions?
Many Kaiser patients still struggle to access ongoing treatment, often waiting two months between therapy sessions. Kaiser therapists say that the HMO has figured out how to game the system set up by California regulators to measure progress without meaningfully improving care.
How do I search for Kaiser Permanente therapists and counselors?
You can search for Kaiser Permanente Therapists/Counselors by symptom or visit reason. Then, choose your location. Based on that information, you’ll see a list of providers who meet your search criteria, along with their available appointment slots .
Who is the former CEO of the Kaiser Foundation?
Former Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson Rather than a return call from the man himself, Mr. Halvorson had his senior attorney, Mary Parks, call Ms. Stein back, and all Ms. Parks would say in response to Ms. Stein’s heartfelt letter was that “Kaiser has no knowledge of any wrongdoing.”
What is the importance of the principle of Responsibility Kaiser Permanente code of conduct?
Kaiser Permanente's Principles of Responsibility is our code of conduct. It provides us with the guidance we need to do the right thing in taking on new opportunities and emphasizes the importance of complying with all laws, regulations, and policies.
How do I fight Kaiser Permanente?
If you prefer, you may file a grievance online at kaiserpermanente.org, in person at your local Member Service office, or by phone by calling 1-800-464-4000.
What is a treatment team?
Treatment teams can vary in their makeup; however, they most commonly consist of a physician, nutritionist, and psychologist, providing care for the patient's medical, nutritional, and psychological symptoms.
What is the importance of principles of responsibilities?
it guides our work and our interactions with others. use the Principles of Responsibility as a tool to ensure that compliance is integrated into the work we do everyday — be it service, care, or any operational duties such as strategic planning, communications, and business processes.
Can a patient sue Kaiser?
Kaiser patients cannot usually sue for medical negligence. Instead, they must go through binding arbitration. Kaiser Permanente patients wishing to bring an action against a Kaiser health care provider for medical negligence must usually go through Kaiser's arbitration process.
How do I contact the Kaiser ombudsman?
For urgent situations, or for more information, members may contact a Member Services representative at the Kaiser Permanente Customer Service Center by calling: ☎ (301) 468-6000; ☎ 1 (800) 777-7902, toll-free outside the Washington metro calling area; or (301) 879-6380, TTY.
Who would the treatment team include?
Team members may include, but are not limited to, the following:Child and adolescent psychiatrist. ... Psychiatrist. ... Psychologist. ... Social worker, or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). ... Advanced practice psychiatric nurse.
Who is part of a treatment team?
The service provider's you work with are often referred to as your “team”. People on your team may include representatives from many systems, including: schools, doctors, community mental health agencies, and other individuals that you & your child want to be part of the team.
Who all are in mental health team?
MENTAL HEALTH TEAMA psychiatrist.A psychiatric nurse.A clinical psychologist.A psychiatric social worker.An occupational therapist or an activity therapist.A pharmacist and a dietician.A counselor.A dietician.
What is ethically responsible?
Definition: Ethical responsibility is the ability to recognize, interpret and act upon multiple principles and values according to the standards within a given field and/or context.
What is Kaiser compliance?
Kaiser Permanente Compliance Hotline is a convenient and anonymous way for vendors to report suspected wrongdoing, including fraud, waste, and abuse, safety concerns, and compliance violations, without fear of retaliation. The Compliance Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
What is responsibility and accountability?
Accountability means taking ownership of the results that have been produced, where responsibility focuses on the defined roles of each team member and what value they can bring to the table because of their specific position. Where accountability is results-focused, responsibility is task or project-focused.
What is a confidential session with a psychiatrist?
One-on-one, confidential sessions with a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who specializes in mental health treatment, including diagnosing mental health conditions and prescribing medications. Once your condition is stable, your personal doctor might take over managing your medication.
Who can prescribe and monitor medications?
You may also work with other licensed providers who can prescribe and monitor medications, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or pharmacists.
Does Kaiser Permanente have a training site?
They may be licensed psychologists, clinical social workers, or marriage and family therapists. Kaiser Permanente also serves as a training site, so you could get care from a trainee who is supervised by a licensed professional. If you prefer not to work with a trainee, just let us know.
Addiction and recovery support
We offer evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery services for members struggling with drugs or alcohol. We’re here to help.
Mental health and addiction care at Kaiser Permanente
Learn about your mental health and addiction care options with these quick answers to common questions.
Getting care
For an initial appointment, please call the Mental Health Access Center at 1-888-287-2680, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our Mental Health Access Center is staffed with mental health and wellness professionals with expertise in finding you appropriate and timely care.
Concerns with access to care
If you have questions, concerns, or would like to file a complaint, you can call Member Services or complete an online form and email it to Member Services at: kp.org/wa/compliments-complaints .
Urgent or emergency care
If you would like care advice or to know if you should get immediate attention, our Consulting Nurse Service can help 24/7. A nurse will listen to your concerns, and if necessary, direct you to the best location to get care. You'll need to give your member ID number.
What is a psychiatrist at Kaiser?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders.
What is compassionate care?
This is a place where you can be honest about your substance use and what you want to do about it. Everyone’s journey is different.
What is a nurse specialist?
Nurse specialists and physician assistants. These advanced practice clinicians support patients through the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of conditions. They work closely with doctors and care teams to provide medical services and counseling for mental health, substance misuse, and addiction issues.
What is the specialty of a psychologist?
Psychologists. Psychologists specialize in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions, SUD, and addiction. They’re trained in a variety of evidence-based treatment methods designed to improve emotional and interpersonal well-being.
Is Kaiser Permanente one size fits all?
At Kaiser Permanente, treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s tailored to your individual needs — and if those needs change, so does your care plan. Your care team will ask specific questions at every visit and use evidence-based tools to interpret your feedback.
Does Kaiser Permanente offer SUD treatment?
Treatment for SUD and addiction is highly personal — there’s not a single path to recovery that works for everyone. Kaiser Permanente offers a full range of evidence-based treatment options for adults and teens, and we’ll work with you to create a care plan that’s specific to your needs.
How many therapists does Kaiser have?
Kaiser has launched an initiative to train 140 therapists a year and allocated $10 million to expand its postgraduate training program. Kaiser also has contracted with outside providers, including Beacon Health Options and Magellan Health, to improve access to care.
How many Kaiser mental health workers are there in California?
Since then, the National Union of Healthcare Workers — which represents 3,600 Kaiser mental health workers in California, including psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers and psychiatric nurses — has continued to confront Kaiser for what the union says are ongoing lapses. Advertisement.
How long did Kaiser wait to follow up on Wasserman?
He called Kaiser a week after his coverage started to find a new one. After an initial appointment, he was told the next available follow-up wasn’t for three to four months. Instead, someone from Beacon Health would be in touch. Wasserman waited more than a week, but no one called.
How long did Kaiser see Kevin Dickens?
It was only after he filed an official grievance that Kaiser found a therapist who could see him on an ongoing basis — nearly four months after his initial request. For other patients, the consequences have been more extreme. In June 2017, Kevin Dickens of Alameda was depressed, anxious and suicidal.
How much has Kaiser grown in California?
Kaiser has grown its mental health workforce in California by 30% since 2015, but membership has grown 23% over the same period, leaving the ratio of patients per therapist little changed.
What was Kaiser's fine?
In 2013, the state Department of Managed Health Care found Kaiser was systematically shortchanging patients seeking mental health treatment in violation of the state’s parity law and levied a $4-million fine. In 2015, regulators again cited Kaiser, finding that some patients were waiting months to see a psychiatrist or therapist.
How often should I see Kaiser psychologists?
Kenneth Rogers, a Kaiser psychologist in the Sacramento area, said his options are either to see his patients once every two months or to squeeze them in after hours. “Whatever you’re working on, it’s not fresh in eight weeks. For most patients, you want to be regularly following up,” he said. Advertisement.
What is Keisha Williams' specialty?
She also provides anger management, marriage therapy, adult psychotherapy, and grief counseling as a part of her services.
Who is Alan Weisser?
Dr. Alan Weisser, JD, PhD, and his group at New Options, Inc., a pain management practice, have an extensive background in working with the psychological problems people face when they are living with complex and chronic pain problems. Working at New Options, Inc., he has participated in multi-disciplinary teams that have forged successful collaborations between patients, claim managers, medical practices and agencies including The University of Washington Rehabilitation Department, Puget Sound Sports and Spine Physicians, Labor and Industries, other physicians, rehabilitation specialists and community resources . He has presented on the New Options approach to care to physicians at the University of Washington department of Rehabilitation, Labor and Industries, the National Society of Spine Surgeons, the Trial Lawyers Association, and numerous medical and rehabilitation practices. By focusing on collaborative and realistic goals, and practices, within a coherent clinical model, his practice has provided support that empowered chronic pain patients to transition from dysfunction and disability to self-discovery, empowerment and recovery. He looks forward to sharing concepts and techniques to helppeople suffering from chronic physical and emotional pain and medical conditions. Dr. Weisser is uniquely qualified to lead others in experiences of self-discovery. When he was 12 years old, he broke his neck in a diving accident at a local swimming pool. Though he nearly died, he developed an unshakable belief that he could and would recover. During this two-year recovery, he came to understand that it was not just physical pain that affected him. The injury had caused a high level of emotional suffering and self-confidence was severely shaken. His former approach to life, based on taking risk and challenging himself, seemed entirely out of reach. After exploring many growth-related activities including becoming a trial lawyer and taking up martial arts, Alan sensed an emerging need for a more profound change in his life. To do this, he set himself out into the world. He traveled to Europe, and eventually arrived in Marrakesh, Morocco without a place to stay, much money or a plan. His revived sense of adventure and curiosity led him to becoming “adopted” by a Bedouin family with whom he lived in the desert of Morocco for several months. Living a simple, nomadic, community-based life in the desert, and learning from the tribal shaman, he felt truly grounded in who he was and what really inspired him. He decided it was time to return home. Back in New York City with his life reimagined, he began his pursuit of a degree in clinical psychology. His studies led to working with the chronically mentally ill in a state mental hospital for many years. This work deepened his understanding that treating any kind of human pain required understanding and treating a person’s whole life. To do that you need to learn what is meaningful and inspiring to them.
Where is Keisha Williams now?
She is currently working with Choosing Therapy, situated in Washington. She sees patients for several reasons and strives to provide the best available care to each of them. As a part of her academic training, Keisha Williams attended the University of Missouri, where she acquired her master's degree in social work.
What does the patient propose in Kaiser's refusal to grant a member's request for medically necessary treatment?
The patient proposes that Kaiser’s refusal to grant a member’s request for medically necessary treatment, and that they are not willing to identify themselves by name, it is the patient’s opinion, that the oral review is without merit, and a member can dispute their decision for the reason in this letter.
When did Dina Padilla work at Kaiser?
Dina Padilla November 3, 2007. After working in both Kaiser hospital and clinic in Sacramento, Ca., starting in the mid 1980’s to 1993 it has certainly been never ending nightmare, listening to patients and employees who are patients, that kaiser now entering into decades of operation, gets worse by the day.
Does Kaiser screw up?
Any healthcare is sometimes better than none, and Kaiser doesn’t screw up every single thing . Being forced to go back after harm has been done is actually one of the most horrifying aspects of the Kaiser Victim experience, so it wouldn’t hurt you to have a little compassion. NA February 26, 2017.