USA Today: Kaiser mental health patients forced to wait past limit
Today, USA Today and the Huffington Post have both reported on NUHW’s “Care Delayed, Cared Denied.”
Based on a survey of more than 300 mental health clinicians, “Care Delayed, Care Denied” shows in clear detail that Kaiser Permanente, California’s largest HMO, systematically understaffs its mental health services in violation of California state law, leaving some patients to suffer delays in receiving treatment they have already paid for and urgently need.
From the USA Today article:
“A survey of 305 mental health providers at 57 California Kaiser Permanente facilities found that mental health patients do not receive needed care in a timely manner, that managers ask employees to “cook the books” so it appears they meet a California law for an initial appointment within 10 days, that patients are funneled into group therapy because there are not enough clinicians for one-on-one care and that clinicians do not have time to perform basic assessments.”
The survey was conducted by the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
Click here to read “Care Delayed, Care Denied,” view patient and clinician videos and to download your copy of the full report.