How long does it take to get an appointment at Kaiser
In 2017, California insurance regulators reached a settlement with Kaiser Permanente which addresses the HMO’s repeated failures to provide patients with prompt access to mental health services. The settlement required Kaiser to revamp oversight of behavioral healthcare.
Unfortunately, the problem continues. In 2020, the American Psychological Association (APA), the nation’s leading association of professional psychologists, singled out Kaiser as the worst mental health provider it has encountered. Why? Because too many of Kaiser’s members are still experiencing long wait times to book an appointment for behavioral health treatment.
According to Kaiser patients, therapists, state reports, as well as the APA, the waiting period between appointments can range anywhere from four to six weeks, and, in some of the most understaffed of the HMO’s clinics in California, the waiting period can take up to four months.
And, according to Beth Capell, a legislative advocate for Health Access California, too often Kaiser patients are left with no other options but to search for alternatives for care out-of-network.
Sadly, if you do an online search for reviews of Kaiser, you will quickly discover that the complaints expressed by members about how long it takes to get an appointment are not limited to behavioral health treatment.
From the ER to the OR
Take some time to look online for member reviews of Kaiser. One of the more frequent complaints from members is how long it takes to get an appointment at Kaiser. One patient from Oregon posted an online review stating that she waited for over a year to get an appointment scheduled with a Kaiser dermatologist.
Other negative reviews by Kaiser members:
- Long wait times in the ER
- Decreasing accessibility to specialty departments
- Limiting doctor visits
- Delays in scheduling of OR procedures
- Refusal to authorize diagnostic testing
- Lack of available appointments
In general, these and other member complaints add up to poor patient care on the part of the Kaiser Permanente system.
Is it worth the wait?
For some members, problems getting an appointment at Kaiser and other cost-cutting measures on the part of the HMO have greatly affected patient care. Some members have had dire consequences and believe they been victims of medical negligence due to:
- Delays in diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose
- Failure to order diagnostic tests
- Unnecessary delay of treatment
If you take some time to read the many complaints against Kaiser Permanente from members who have suffered from medical negligence, filing a complaint with the healthcare provider has little chance of having a good outcome. Additionally, members that want to bring a legal claim for medical malpractice against Kaiser must adhere to Kaiser’s binding arbitration process.
If you feel that you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice due to negligence on the part of a healthcare provider or hospital within the Kaiser Permanente system, San Diego medical malpractice attorney, Scott S. Harris, has over 30 years of experience when it comes to arbitrating, mediating, or settling medical malpractice cases on the behalf of Kaiser Permanente members.