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As managed care giant Kaiser Permanente takes a lead role in California’s new COVID-19 vaccination strategy, it draws mixed reviews from members across the country for how it handled its own immunization program over the past two months.
Conversations with 10 Kaiser registrants in five states – Colorado, Washington, Virginia, Maryland and California – revealed a common frustration: difficulty getting a date. Many also described receiving sporadic and sometimes confusing information from the company, although some said Kaiser has been doing better recently.
Everyone who spoke to California Healthline was over 65. Many were longtime members of Kaiser and, aside from the rollout of the vaccine, mostly had positive opinions about the healthcare system. Some have ended up going elsewhere for their pictures; others said they would wait for Kaiser because they were familiar with his services and felt more comfortable going there than to another site. (Kaiser Health News is an independent editorial program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)
Kaiser’s chief executive, Greg Adams, acknowledged California patients’ frustrations with his company in a Jan. 30. E-mail, explaining that the health system had received only a small fraction of the vaccine supply it needed.
Members did not blame Kaiser for the lack of vaccines, noting that insufficient supply has been the bane of suppliers across the country. But Kaiser could have been faster to administer the vaccines he received and should have communicated more clearly about the shortage, they said.
Nino Maida, a San Francisco resident who has been a member of the Kaiser for 14 years, said he didn’t understand why he couldn’t get a date. “The frustration lasted for about a month, until I got a clear indication from Kaiser that all the wait was due to a lack of vaccine,” said Maida, 74. “I thought they were very ineffective instead of just communicating poorly.”
A spokesperson for Kaiser defended the company’s communications strategy, claiming that a page on its website provides detailed answers on vaccine eligibility and appointments, and a link prominently displayed on Kaiser’s homepage directs people there. The organization regularly sends out emails to members with information about their eligibility and instructions on how to make an appointment, and call center operators can also answer members’ questions, he said. declared.
Obviously, Kaiser Permanente is not the only organization facing barriers to immunization. Sutter Health, Northern California’s large healthcare system, for example, had to cancel 40,000 vaccination appointments last week because it did not have enough vaccines, a company spokesperson said. .
But Kaiser, who is both an insurer and a provider of medical care, has come under special scrutiny because of his size and the fact that he has been chosen to play an important role in the efforts of state to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations.
The company, which covers 12.4 million people in the United States, including 9.3 million Californians, has been cited by Cal / OSHA and fined nearly $ 500,000 for workplace safety violations at the onset of the pandemic.
A protocol of agreement with the state, released last week, stipulates that Kaiser will be part of a network of vaccine suppliers assembled and overseen by Blue Shield of California, which has signed a Contract on February 1 to administer the statewide inoculation plan. Kaiser will also serve as an advisor to Blue Shield to help the state achieves its objective expand access to vaccines to the most vulnerable communities, says the memorandum.
Under this agreement, Kaiser will not receive any public funds. It will operate two mass vaccination sites – one at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, the other in Cal Poly Pomona, Los Angeles County – and “may consider creating future mass vaccination sites” that would target rural Californians and those with historically lower immunizations. rates. More importantly, Kaiser will be vaccinating members and non-members, as he is already doing on a smaller scale.
The memorandum acknowledges the supply constraints that Kaiser faced, saying the state “will ensure that Blue Shield understands that Kaiser depends on an adequate supply of vaccine.”
Kaiser didn’t start vaccinating people 65 and older – following state guidelines – until long after other providers started to do so. And some longtime Kaiser members were disappointed with the lag.
“It’s not a good thing for public relations to have weekly information on the four biggest healthcare providers in Northern California, and Kaiser is the only one still working on the staff and people of Northern California. over 75, ”said Elizabeth Wieland, 66, of Elk. Grove, Calif., Member for 30 years.
When Kaiser sent a patient email February 13 encouraging them to “get the shot somewhere outside of Kaiser Permanente” if possible, it was like “throwing in the towel,” Wieland said. “It’s ‘fending for yourself’. Not what I expected, but it seems like the new normal. “
On February 20, Adams sent a update to members informing them that the supply outlook has improved as “the state has increased Kaiser Permanente’s weekly vaccine allocation to better match the number of members we serve.” As a result, the CEO said, Kaiser was able to start scheduling dates for people 65 and older.
Kaiser is also vaccinating people 65 and older in Washington state, Virginia and Georgia, a spokesperson said.
Members’ complaints weren’t just about the slow deployment. Members said Kaiser sometimes posted key immunization information in hard-to-find places and often heard things by word of mouth before hearing it from the company. Some said once they managed to sign up for a vaccination they were promised email updates that never reached them. Still others said that after being put on Kaiser’s immunization waiting list, they were suddenly pushed further in line without any explanation.
Janet Vorwerk, a retired Kaiser operating room nurse who lives in a Denver suburb, said that when she was put on Kaiser’s waitlist in January, she was number 20,991 in line. On February 15, it rose to 9,989, then inexplicably dropped to 11,258 two days later, which she said was “so disheartening”. On Friday, she was number 10,269.
“I don’t understand how the numbers go up and down,” said Vorwerk, 66. Yet she blames the circumstances more than she blames Kaiser. “I understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “You can’t get a vaccine out of your back. But at the same time, it would be nice to have a better idea of when that might happen. “
Some members said Kaiser’s performance has improved recently.
For 84-year-old Citrus Heights, Calif., Tom Spradley, the initial frustration with Kaiser gave way to a happy ending. He said he called Kaiser on a date about a month ago and was on hold for two hours before giving up. He then started checking Kaiser’s vaccines page every day for updates, but said none had come for several days.
Finally, he was able to secure a date for him and his wife at a Kaiser site in Sacramento, about 20 minutes away. This appointment, he said, was a model of efficiency. They received their first injections and were due to receive a second dose on March 12.
“After a week of bad information on getting a shot, I think they really did it, and I was really impressed with the job they did,” said Spradley.
This article was produced by Kaiser Health News, a national newsroom that provides in-depth coverage of health issues and is one of the three main operational programs of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is the editor of California Healthline, an editorial service independent of California Health Care Foundation.
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