OAKLAND, Calif., May 11 (UPI) -- The head of Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region says patient complaints about the HMO's new kidney transplant center came as a surprise to her.
After issuing a public apology to patients who said their complaints had been ignored, Mary Ann Thode told a news conference in Oakland, "I am not personally aware of complaints that have come in regarding the kidney transplant program," The Los Angeles Times reported.
But The Times, citing interviews and documents it had obtained, reported that Thode's organization had repeatedly been informed of patients' dissatisfaction with the kidney center.
The complaints said Kaiser doctors and staff had ignored or discounted patients' concerns about potentially dangerous delays in their care, and at times curtly denied their requests to be transferred elsewhere, the report said. Some patients who had put their complaints in writing provided copies to the newspaper.
As part of an agreement with the state Department of Managed Health Care, Kaiser said it would pay for kidney transplants at outside hospitals for patients dissatisfied with Kaiser's program.
