Susan Kasperski's eleventh nightmare at Kaiser Permanente Problems with her Pacemaker

(11) Eleventh - ( Problems with my Pacemaker)

What goes on in the Cardiology Dept that you are not aware of.
May through August 2010

      May through August Lets step back to ( Oct 01 2007 )- ( 10 ), where I had all the troubles.' Read last complaints and this all happened while Jan Harvey R.N.P. went on Vacation, (who takes care of doctors patients all the time, with her gone all hell broke loose. She held the place together. I started having problems with my health and was saying it's my pacemaker ,I'm convinced of it. I told Cardiology to let Jan Harvey R.N.P. or Doctor James Orens I need to come in. I called several times and still no response from either one. Now here I'm in ER and doctor in ER called Saint Jude for a Tieck to come out to check pacemaker and took my number of the pacemaker ,and doctor came back and said yours isn't a recall, instead of him coming out to see you ,we will send you home and ER never didn't solve my problem. I'm still trying to get a responce from Cardiology to get me in for an appointment, and can't get in without them saying they will see me. One of the numerous times in ER they sent for a Tieck from St Jude to check pacemaker out and he said working fine. Well back home again with same problems finely after several visits to ER,I got a doctor that knew what the problem is why I'm passing out a lot and triggering other problems along with it.

    Quote this doctor said in ER said "your pacemaker is set at 50 and it needs to be set at 70 that is why when you get out of bed or standing up from toilet and passing out you aren't getting an enough blood and oxygen to your body. "So sent for St Jude Tieck to come out and set it to 70.

    The Tieck said take these papers to Cardiology and get in for appointment and ER doctor said same, and also chew me out for not going before for a check, well no luck getting in still or any calls from Cardiology & many messages stating I need to be seen and doctor Orens or Jan Harvey R.N.P. Still haven't replied to my messages I left with the (Nurses), and calling dept of Member Service to complain many times and its not like Jan Harvey to not respond to me.

    Finally I deiced to fax one of Kaiser dept, because I can't get a fax for Cardiology, but sending it to another dept and dept will fax it to the right place, it work before so I'll give it a try, Stating to Cardiology dept Jan Harvey R.N.P. why haven't you respond to my calls?

Falling day I got a call from Cardiology a nurse told me she received my fax, and informed me Jan Harvey has retired, well that is why she didn't respond to my calls. I responded back saying; Isn't anyone taking her message? Her reply was I don't know. And why did your company take my messages and send them to her when she was gone? I don't know, she answered. Now I have another question for you, why haven't doctor Orens reply to my messages? I don't know why, she replied. Well can you find out for me, ask him why he isn't responding to all these messages. Oh she replied he's been out a lot and he is overwhelmed with patients. I started to sense something isn't right, for when I check Cardiology he's not gone in for a week or hasn't been in or just missed him or he was in for a short while, or puts in only 3 days and you call on those days given and he's out. That is strange, something isn't right.

Once again later on down the line, old American expression, I get a call from Cardiology that my heart and pacemaker doctor Orens will no longer see patient with pacemaker you will be seeing doctor W. Chin for he will see all patients with pacemakers and doctor Orens will see all patients with Defibrillator, Well she said I'll make an appointment now for you. I said let me call you back, because someone is at door and that name Chin I heard before. Well I did call next day because too late that day to call they were closed.

     I left a message for Cardiology to Call me at home I had some things too talk over with nurse. Well a nurse called me and I explained why I didn't want W. Chin, he was the doctor that had no common since that turned my bottom led off to my heart that all most caused my death if it wasn't for Managed Health Care company stepping in to help me I would not be here today. I found Doctor W. Chin ( Ignorant )in fact I told nurse I refuse to have him and I want my old doctor back and she said you don't have a choice, I said call doctor Orens ask him to sees me because I don't trust doctor Chin with my life. I finally got a response.

   A Cardiology Nurse called and said doctor Orens will take care of you but all that your paper work will say is that you are seeing Doctor Chin, but Doctor Orens will be seeing you in his place.   BUT your paper work will read Dr. Chin, after setting a appointment for September 01, 2010 at 10:30 on a Wednessday.

After sleeping on this, I called up Cardiology and said no that is a scam; putting on a doctor I'm not seeing and if for some reason later on it shows doctor W. Chin is on my records as my doctor and if I end up in ER and can't talk, the records show W. Chin as my doctor. No way, call doctor Orens and say I want his name on my paper work or I won't come in. I did cancel that appointment, since they couldn't change the paper work, and Dr. Orens or a nurse has not yet called.

    Now this is what I found out, I decided to do some research, calling Kaiser Permanente Cardiology appointment center 8 times at least, trying to get different people on the phone and asking questions. To my surprise Doctor James Orens has only shown up 3 times in 3 months.

They page him and he returns nurses calls on his pager and with Jan Harvey R.N.P. gone, who is minding the store? There are only 2 Cardiology depts for all of Riverside Co., California Kaiser members. One in the town of Riverside and one in Fontana. I was told by Cardiology that Fontana alone has way over a thousand patients with pacemakers and Defibrillators and that I should go to Fontana Kaiser. So it is no wonder you can't get in Cardiology. This is the feedback I'm getting. I asked one of the ladies over the phone in the appointment center; If a doctor shows he is off for weeks who take his place? Answer no one.

     So if you have a problem you end up like me. ER back and forth and my Co pay is $35.00 each time I go to ER, so I spent a lot of money going back and forth to ER, where I could have spent ten dollars and had the pacemaker corrected and avoided time and trauma. I am still waiting.