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kaiserpapers.com/horror The following Kaiser patient story found after the immediate commentary was written by Mr. Les Mahler who is currently a freelance writer/journalist. He has several published articles with the Northern California Newspapers.
Some of his articles are linked at the end of his story.
Since at least the late 1990's Kaiser appears to have focused more on making money than providing medical care. When patients have long term expensive to treat and difficult to erradicate medical conditions Kaiser physicians will often turn their heads and pretend that the patient is cured or claim that the patient never had the disease to begin with. Kaiser Papers has covered this business practice in the business section of this web site. This is inexcusable treatment of patients and certainly is misinforming the public as to how medical services are often provided.
I commend the Kaiser nurse who provided to Mr. Mahler a veiled warning and wish that more would do so. I wish those that do could more clearly do so as more patients would understand what is actually going on.
Kaiser oncologist's only have to follow the protocols in place for standard common cancers. There is not much extra thinking involved. This patient story about Mr. Les Mahler and written below in his own words, is about a rare and not much studied cancer. Few Kaiser doctors would find a reason to jeapordize their career by going to bat for a patient when they believe that there will be no repercussion for doing so. One way or another these types of Kaiser patients who are denied diagnosis and care which is accurate will leave Kaiser. Patients can choose to stay and continue not receiving care and they will eventually die or they can go somewhere else and get care. The Kaiser administrative system will eventually prevail, even if patients stand up for themselves and even if regulatory agencies get involved. Patients in general will lose if they try to fight this system while suffering from a serious disease.
Some of the incentive for doctors to do this to patients was sent to us by a former Kaiser physician:
"You get about 70% of your projected salary, you get paid out in pay periods but the other 30% is called gain shares based on whether you have high patient satisfaction . The higher the patient satisfaction the higher the bonuses. Whether you meet certain objectives. Whether you have met your quota for the number of patients you were supposed to see over the course of the year. And then the other piece is how did the department do? And then the third piece is how did the organization do? " Now those percentages may have changed somewhat but the rest has not, based on the information presented to us at the Kaiser Papers. Think about that above statement because it doesn't necessarily mean what a quick reading sounds like. Think about it.
Here is Mr. Les Mahler's story in his own words.
My case with Kaiser started in late April 2007. I had seen an optometrist for glasses; during the examination, she detected a growth behind the right eye and recommended that I see an ophthalmologist. My coverage with Kaiser started in May 2007, at which point, kaiser had me see an eye surgeon. From the start the surgeon insisted that my growth was nothing too worry about.
The growth was round and unobtrusive. "Don't worry." That went on for months. even after a CT scan, the doctor said I was ok; but the scan did contain a warning: this could be adenoid cystic carcinoma. Kaiser and the doctor didn't even acknowledge that part, and kept insisting it was nothing.
In June 2007, a Kaiser doctor scheduled surgery to my right eye. This was also done as a way to take a biopsy. At the last minute, the doctor talked it over with a nurse and told her about my reluctance, she said, "Go with your gut instinct." So I called off the surgery, and the doctor was pissed: "You just cost me money." few minutes later, he said," I know how to get some money out of you." and he did fine needle aspiration. Two weeks later, he told me the aspiration turned up nothing.
Months dragged on, and I finally requested a second opinion. My consultation was with the UCSF surgeon in September 2007. I was told that it was bad news: "Guarantee 50 percent that it's cancer." I was shocked. I had been told during all these visits that it was nothing, nothing to be concerned about.. now cancer.
Surgery at UCSF done Oct 9, 2007.
In the morning. Oct. 10, 2007, the surgeon, his aide, and a UCSF oncologist came into recovery room and gave me the bad news; it's cancer, rare and fatal. adenoid cystic carcinoma, from 3 centimeters to 6 cm. It had doubled in size in 6 months. That was the beginning of my nightmare with Kaiser, or as i call it my highway in hell
In 2011, a new kaiser doctor, an oncologist, who told me on first day we met; " I know nothing about you cancer. I'm learning as we go along. I'm flying blind here, you probably know more about this cancer than I do." We muddled through 2008-09-10, and 2011.
In mid 2011, he tells me, " Congratulations, you're a survivor, you've been cancer free for five years. I ask five years? It's only been four years, 2007 to 2011 then the doctor quit Kaiser to follow his wife to Los Angeles.
A new Kaiser oncologist tells me that the last oncologist missed the tumor growing in the brain and lungs. Now the tumor has doubled and cannot be operated on. In talks with the Kaiser surgeon, he says that the tumor has wrapped itself around a major blood vessel and during surgery, if he nicks the blood vessel, I could bleed out and die on the operation table.
In 2013, the Kaiser pulmonolgist says there are many tumors in the lungs, not just one. But the Kaiser oncologist says he sees only one. The Kaiser pulmonologist then agreed to defer to the Kaiser oncologist and said that there is only one and it's stable. The Kaiser oncologist ordered a ct scan. I was surprised as the ct scan shows many tumors and they're growing. The Kasier oncologist then quit to go to Genentech.
The new Kaiser oncologist, orders another ct scan She told me that the tumors are small but growing; I asked for a second opinion. Another Kaiser oncologist, Dr. Kaufmann who I had never met before. He went through my case, and asked me "So you want to to Stanford. So Kaiser will have to pay for it?"
This week, I have terminated my coverage with kaiser.
Les Mahlerfreelance writer/journalist
Mr. Les Mahler has worked for years to help children who have cancer. He has developed a foundation STOMP OUT KIDS CANCER and works with Watts Winery in Lodi. http://www.stompoutkidscancer.com/Mr. Mahler has also written a children's book: "A hole in his sock" of which $5.00 for every book sold will go towards the UC Davis Pediatric Oncology Division to fund a cure for childhood cancer: http://www.stompoutkidscancer.com/events1.html
Links to Other Articles by Mr. Les Mahler"
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_27267784/livermore-journalist-firefighters-team-up-crush-kids-cancer
http://www.lodinews.com/opinion/columnists/guest_columnists/article_dcae339c-3331-11e4-8fea-0019bb2963f4.htmlhttp://www.lodinews.com/opinion/columnists/guest_columnists/article_9fb304ca-492c-11e4-be6c-37d57c91fe0a.html
https://www.facebook.com/DestinysHopeandSparkles/posts/621558484550027
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