The Sacramento area's largest health care provider, Kaiser
Permanente, runs a special, doctor-to-doctor call operation that has
become a target of legal actions alleging malpractice and failure to
pay claims. The
doctors' telephone hub has drawn
legal criticism at the same time the state is investigating allegations
that Kaiser's much larger customer call center lets unlicensed staffers
make medical decisions. Sacramento Bee.com reports:
Both are examples of streamlining medical care in ways some Kaiser members defend for keeping their health expenses down, but others criticize as callous or dangerous. A Shingle Springs couple contend the doctors' call center played a role in the death of their 19-year-old daughter by making it difficult to get the young woman quickly to the first available neurosurgeon.
"She was sitting while a business meeting was being carried out to determine what was best for a large corporation and not for the patient," said Dr. VanBuren Lemons, a Sacramento neurosurgeon, who acted as a medical expert for the family in its claim against Kaiser. Kaiser declined comment on the case, which has been settled. The family's lawyer said the amount Kaiser paid is confidential.
