The Kaiser Papers Newsletter for December 2007 |  |
In This Issue:
Doesn’t anyone remember why the Tower of Babel story is still told? by Vickie Travis
|$250,000 It Isn’t What It Used To by Sharon Rushford |
The Kaiser Fairy Visits Wikipedia by Miguel Perez-Lizano
Cigna Healthcare refused a liver transplant for 17 year old leukemia patient Nataline Sarkisyan - by Hillarie Levy
JCAHO - The Joint Commission On Accreditation Of Health Care Organizations by Jupirena Stein
Article I of a series regarding employees of Halliburton.
My husband was the Vector Control Supervisor on the Mosul base - By Anonymous
The 2008 Lyme Disease calendars are available here! by Sue Vogan
Doesn’t anyone remember why the Tower of Babel story is still told? by Vickie Travis
|$250,000 It Isn’t What It Used To by Sharon Rushford |
The Kaiser Fairy Visits Wikipedia by Miguel Perez-Lizano
Cigna Healthcare refused a liver transplant for 17 year old leukemia patient Nataline Sarkisyan - by Hillarie Levy
JCAHO - The Joint Commission On Accreditation Of Health Care Organizations by Jupirena Stein
Article I of a series regarding employees of Halliburton.
My husband was the Vector Control Supervisor on the Mosul base - By Anonymous
The 2008 Lyme Disease calendars are available here! by Sue Vogan
| Doesn’t anyone remember why the Tower of Babel story is still told? by Vickie Travis What In 1933, in California, a well known author, Upton Sinclair New York State’s public health department has Elderly http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/epic/ The National Institute of Health has the EPIC acronym 7498/991 All of these databases share information with each other Vickie Travis may be reached at: vickie@kaiserpapers.ino This month Dina has requested rather than her presenting an article for you all involving Worker's Compensation that instead we provide information regarding civilians employed by Halliburton. The following letter from an individual who will remain anonymous for their personal protection is the beginning of a series of informative articles on what really takes place in Iraq and how they are treated by our own country when they return home damaged just as badly as military personnel. Dina will return next month. and we will continue with this series on Halliburton which must be told. Dear Readers: My
husband was the Vector Control Supervisor on the Mosul base. My
husband wasn't a mercenary, he didn't hold a weapon. He was there
to spray for sandflies that carry disease. This senseless "war"
has
destroyed our dreams. A
hazmat Coordinators job came up and he applied for it because it was
$1500.00 more a month in pay than he was already making. He felt that would shorten his time there. When he took that position he had to continue with the Vector Control job as well because they didn't have a replacement yet. This went on for months. These were two full time positions. My husband told me once that his main boss, had told him that he got a message from HQ to cut costs. So they dragged their feet on getting a replacement for him. He was paid at the higher rate but for only the
Hazmat position. He worked 15 to 16 hour days 7 days a week. This put
tremendous stress on him. I am not sure if he was even properly trained in hazardous waste. State side you have to be trained. You have to know the proper precaution s to take, and what to expect. On one of his first jobs in Hazmat he had to clean up after a young soldier who had shot himself in the head. He called sobbing on the phone. He could barely stop retching as he wiped up the brain matter and blood from the wall he told me. He kept saying, "The smell, the smell" My husband
never cried. I begged him to quit and come home but he said there
wasn't anyone to take his place in both positions. When he first applied for the position he said it was to make sure that the waste from the army was property disposed of, like barrels of motor oil. I don't think he expected human blood and brains. I also believe he thought they would get a replacement sooner that they did also. He was very nervous about the fact that they were moving the Iraqi guard on to the base. They stationed them right next to his work yard. They were a big target for the insurgents at that time. He was afraid to even go into his own work area to get equipment in fear of being hit by a bullet or bomb intended for the guard. He told me once that the insurgents were bad shots. He was told to not talk about anything that happens over there to family members. They would say, "What happens in Iraq, stays in Iraq." He said everyday when he woke up he felt it could be his last. My lawyer has tried getting his medical records from over there. They say there are not any. I know he saw a doctor over there on several occasions because he had to have. The contractors didn't have their own doctor to see. They had to be treated by the military doctor on that base. Before my husband went to Iraq he went through 2 weeks of training
and medical clearance. He told me that they did the ink blot psych
test which he passed. The training mainly consisted of learning about how to put on a biodefense suit and what you could and couldn't do. Dina Padilla may be reached at: dina@comcast.net Anonymous can only be reached through Dina Padilla or Vickie Travis |  By Sharon Rushford
In 1975 California placed a $250,000 limit for the amount victims can be awarded for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases. According to the California Association of Realtors (CAR), the median home
price in 1975 was about $42,000. The CAR projected the 2005 median home price
would surpass $500,000. That is a twelve-fold increase in the median cost of a
home for Californians, yet the cap on pain and suffering remains at $250,000. Now we all know Kaiser profits are in the billions. We also know that a $250,000 judgment against Kaiser is nothing more than the equivalent of a parking ticket. It is time for California lawmakers to re-think the $250,000 pain and suffering cap. It has been more than 30 years since the cap was imposed. It should, at a minimum, increase twelve-fold as did home prices. That would increase the cap to over $3,000,000 for pain and suffering today. That increase would mean victims would be able to find attorneys who could take their case and not be turned away because there is not enough money to fund their right for justice. I say to lawmakers, if you don’t increase the $250,000 cap you should then remove “and justice for all” from the pledge of allegiance to our flag, since it would only be a lie. Sharon Rushford may be contacted at:  From The Desk of Hillarie Levy The tragic incident where Cigna Healthcare refused a liver transplant
for 17 year old leukemia patient Nataline Sarkisyan, until just before her untimely
death, is a common occurrence with Kaiser cancer patients. In my daughter, Robyn
Libitsky's case, City of Hope recommended a life saving stem cell
transplant as Robyn's only hope for survival for her cancer, and Kaiser
Oncologist, Gary Schwartz approved. She had completed the
harvesting of her stem cells and then the Kaiser panel immediately
denied the transplant. Unfortunately, the "Kaiser Panel" that
approves these procedures refused, giving Robyn a death sentence.
My frantic appeals to Kaiser and subsequently to the DMHC, were also
refused.
When she didn't die right away, (she lived three more painful years) Kaiser
used other tactics such as trying unsuccessfully to place her in Hospice, where
patients unknowingly give up all rights to expensive cancer treatment, and
placed her at a lower priority to receive blood transfusions. Part of
Robyn's pediatric cancer treatments required blood transfusions to survive the
treatment as well as continue with the treatment, uninterrupted. I was forced to
go off my chemo pills (taken for a non cancerous condition) and lie about my medical condition in order to donate
blood, sometimes two weeks apart. Hopefully the Sarkisyan case brings to light the silent suffering of the
thousands of patients refused lifesaving care by insurance companies, whose
priority is only monetary, and the state agencies that support these inhumane
decisions Hillarie
Levy may be reached at:
The Kaiser Fairy did provide a truthful description of Kaiser as being composed of the two “non-profit” entities – Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and The history section does mention what is now known as the Tahoe Accord that set the foundation of Kaiser’s structure and profit sharing arrangements; “After several tense confrontations between Kaiser and Permanente Medical Group physicians, the doctors met with Kaiser's top adviser, Eugene Trefethen, at Kaiser's personal estate near Lake Tahoe on July 12, 1955. Trefethen came up with the idea of a contract between the medical groups and the health plans and hospital foundations which would set out roles, responsibilities, and financial distribution.[27]” Whoops! What the Kaiser Fairy overlooked was a footnote reference that accurately and concisely describes Kaiser Permanente in a 1971 taped conversation between John D. Erlichman and President Richard Nixon; Ehrlichman: “Edgar Kaiser is running his Permanente deal for profit. And the reason that he can … the reason he can do it … I had Edgar Kaiser come in … talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the incentives are toward less medical care, because …” President Nixon: [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: “… the less care they give them, the more money they make.” http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Transcript_of_taped_conversation_ between_President_Richard_Nixon_and_John_D._Ehrlichman_ %281971%29_that_led_to_the_HMO_act_of_1973 or http://businesspractices.kaiserpapers.info/nixononkaiser.html Miguel Perez-Lizano may be contacted at: mikijean@pacifier.com  From
the desk of Jupirena Stein:JCAHO - The Joint Commission On Accreditation Of Health Care Organizations. DEAR READER: JCAHO accredits Health Care Organizations, like Kaiser Permanente. www.jointcommission.org JCAHO MISSION STATEMENT is: “ To CONTINUOUSLY improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations.” and POSITIONING STATEMENT: “ Helping Health care Organizations Help Patients.” Dr. Dennis S. O’Leary is JCAHO’s president. Here are some of his words: “The Joint Commission is widely recognized for its cutting-edge leadership role in developing standards and performance measures and for the adaptability of its RIGOROUS EVALUATION PROCESS to emerging new forms of health care delivery organizations. Who is he kidding? ... I say, -Dr. Dennis S. O’Leary should seriously reconsider taking away Kaiser Permanente’s accreditation. Someone should send him these websites. He may learn a thing or two about this Health care Organization: www.kaiserpapers.org www.kaiserthrive.org www.harp.org I was silly enough to try taking this crime committed against health by Kaiser Permanente and report it to JCAHO by filling out their “Report a Complaint.” Here’s a copy of my complaint letter to JCAHO and their response. Report a Complaint about a Health Care Organization Complete the three steps below. In step 3, only health care organizations accredited by the Joint Commission are included in the list. 1. State/country where the incident occurred: 2. City where the incident occurred: 3. Health care organization where the incident occurred: CALIFORNIA Redwood City Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City If you did not find the name of the health care organization from the list in step 3 above, complete the information below. Enter the country name only is the organization is located outside the United States. Organization Name: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Country: Organization Street Address: 1150 Veterans Boulevard Redwood City City: Redwood City State: CALIFORNIA Zip Code: 94063 United States Organization Phone # 6502992000 Incident Date Hospital Patient 11/19/1999 Do you wish to remain anonymous? No Complete the information below if you would like the Joint Commission to notify you about any action taken on your complaint. Your name will be kept confidential. Personal Information Salutation: Mrs. First Name: Jupirena former patient Middle Initial: U Last Name: Stein Personal Credentials: Select... Professional Credentials: Select... Firm Name: self Street Address: (deleted) City: (deleted) State: (deleted) Zip: (deleted) Telephone: (deleted) Ext: Fax: none Ext: Email: j_u_stein@yahoo.com Incident Narrative (Provide a brief overview of your complaint) Dear Commission: Please take 5 minutes of your time to read the attached open letter directed to Mr. Halvorson, Kaiser Permanente's Executive Officer. Mr. Halvorson has not responded to my concerns. He, as well as all others, would have to face the truth and I believe they prefer continuing to ignore the seriousness of all of this wishing perhaps that it would go away. But, this crime/fraud will not go away. Someone at Kaiser MUST face the truth. Because Dr. Wild needed to get his Board Certification, KP faked a needed surgery on my right neck (parotidectomy) and allowed him to do this to me, as I slept under general anesthetic, without my knowledge or my consent and without medical need. He: 1 - placed a surgical clip on my internal jugular vein, 2 - sutured shut my external carotid artery, 3 - placed a small PTFE tube (polytetrafluorethyne) inside my internal carotid artery. 4- he dissected my perfectly healthy right sternocleiomastoid muscle. You may be interested in knowing more, perhaps that the HHS/OIG and the FBI are now involved. The world is being informed. Perhaps you can ask Mr. Halvorson, why he refuses to clear all these facts with me, -in the court of law? I would like to know. Thank you. J. Stein Please, open the link bellow to read Mr. Halvorson’s open letter. http://www.kaiserthrive.org/2007/09/04/ an-open-letter-to-george-halvorson/ This is JCAHO’s response to my letter. October 12, 2007 Jupirena Stein Regarding: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Incident #4863CMO-9986MCZ Dear Mrs. Stein: This is to inform you that we have completed our review of your letter regarding the above organization. Based on The Joint Commission policy, we are unable to evaluate issues greater than three years old. Please be assured that although no action could be taken at this time, this does not mean that we do not view your issues as important. Per our Public Information Policy, the following information is provided upon request as it becomes available: * The number of standards-related written complaints filed against an accredited organization that have met criteria for review * The applicable standards areas involved in a specific complaint review * The standards areas in which requirements for improvement were issued as a result of complaint evaluation activities * When an unannounced or unscheduled survey is based on information derived from a complaint or public sources, the standards areas related to the complaint * Any determination that the complaint is not related to The Joint Commission standards In addition, you may also wish to refer to the organization's Quality Report, which is available at The Joint Commission's web site (www.jointcommission.org, and click Quality Check), to obtain general information about the organization's performance on key quality measures. To obtain a hard copy of the report, please contact our Customer Service Center at (630) 792-5800 or write to the Customer Service Center at Customer Service Center The Joint Commission One Renaissance Blvd. Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 The Joint Commission stands ready to receive and review issues of concern about accredited organizations at any time and will act in accordance with all the information that is provided to us. Sincerely, Ms. J. Stovall Office of Quality Monitoring JCAHO has a 3 year statute of limitations to take in any complaints against any of their assured health care organizations. Now that we all know that and will start sending our complaints to them before the 3 year is up, ...I wonder, - what else would they have up their sleeve to continue accrediting criminals... Regards, Jupirena Stein Jupirena Stein may be contacted via e-mail at: j_u_stein@yahoo.com The 2008 Lyme Disease calendars are available here!  http://www.suevogan.com/ Tune in to In Short order with Sue Vogan Listen on: Low Band (Dialup) Hi Band (DSL) (Show information: http://www.highway2health.net) Take Sue With You - Show Podcast Archives Listen to Past Shows on Blind Wolf Radio http://blindwolf.com © Kaiser Papers December 20, 2007 |
