Kaiser Permanente

My review is for the year 2014 for some certain doctors at Kaiser SF who will remain nameless (my previous GP is no longer there thank God). Should be zero stars for 2014. This is my Kaiser horror story (I’ve heard it nicknamed as Killer Kaiser, for damn good reason).
I had lots of foot problems and terrible pain for over a year. Was diagnosed by my GP and confirmed by my DPM as a neuroma (swollen nerve). It progressively got worse and I started developing one in my other foot. I began waking with numb hands, which I emailed my GP about but it was ignored. Finally decided to have the most painful neuroma surgically removed in July 2014, planning to get the other one removed later. But after the surgery I just didn’t feel right. After a couple of weeks I rapidly became extremely ill with insomnia, depression and irritability, and shooting pains in my legs and spine. Had numerous tests and several different specialists (endocrinologist, neurologist) were involved. Nobody could figure out what was wrong and my doctors were all thinking it was all in my head. My GP tried me on an antidepressant which made me even sicker. Then I began having panic attacks (very scary). I had a couple of trips to the Kaiser SF ER but all they did was throw meds at me. I tried to go back to work at my job in Santa Clara, but felt just awful. After one horrible day a friend took me to the Kaiser Santa Clara ER where I got a proper neurological workup. The ER doctor there ordered a test that should have been done months before, a B12 test. Two days later I learned my B12 was low, and eventually found out it was caused by pernicious anemia (it is deadly without treatment). My GP said he didn’t think that my symptoms were caused by low B12 but he was wrong, Wrong, WRONG.
I now have permanent nerve damage, am disabled, and have other related problems as a result of being severely B12 deficient for so long. B12 is critical for nerve health, creating new blood cells, and cell reproduction. Being deficient triggered my foot pain and numb hands. Recovery from surgery created a huge demand for B12, and it took 3−½ months (!!!) for someone to recognize the potential symptoms and order the proper test. It’s unbelievable and inexcusable that my SF neurologist or endocrinologist didn’t even think of ordering a simple B12 test.
Every time I hear those ads for Kaiser on TV I shudder. Maybe Kaiser is fine if you are healthy, don’t have a rare or unusual illness, or aren’t a woman (there are many internet stories about the terrible treatment of women patients especially by male doctors). But you can’t predict that, do you really want to play Russian roulette with your own and your family’s health?

I called to fill my prescription yesterday. I double checked that I could come in today. It’s today. I just waited 3 hours and 15 minutes for my prescriptions. I came in at 9:33am, stood in line at the 2200 O’Farrell location (where I requested to fill my prescription), was seen at 9:48am, and told that they were all out of my medication at that location, but to wait for them to call the main pharmacy, because they might have it. At 10:30ish, the clerk calls me back up to the counter and tells me to go to the Geary pharmacy – they have my order. I walk directly there and stand in line for about ten minutes. The guy then tells me that they are out of my prescription there too. I have to wait until 11, when their wholesaler comes in, and then wait until 11:40 until they can get it all together. I do. I see the same clerk around that time. Now, they have the wrong syringes. I wait until 12:33pm, when he finally calls me back up to the front. Then, the card machine shuts down. And finally, after the clerk calls in another guy, I get my meds. Now, the RN with whom I have an appt is on his lunch break until 1:30, which is what he should be doing – eating – and I am sitting by the only plug I could find by the bathrooms writing this review. In terms of variety, Kaiser is the Walmart of health insurance. I know this. But, for its prices, it has some bs customer service.

There is no better reason to avoid getting sick than to avoid having to come to this hell hole joke of a pharmacy. Unless you want to wait in like for 40 min+ to find out they messed up your prescription.

My review is for the Pharmacy. I went to my eye doctor to get my eye checked under my VSP insurance and he prescribed me an eye drop that I then took to a Walgreens near the location of my eye doctor and they told me they would charge me 190 for that particular eye drop. I have medical coverage through Kaiser and so I went in to the pharmacy on Geary and they told me that eye drop would be 140 — still a lot but already significantly cheaper than the 190 that Walgreens quoted me– and then the lady in the counter said we can call you doctor to see if he will prescribe a generic brand — and they did — the final bill is 8 dollars instead of 190 or even 140 for the generic brand. Not many places go above and beyond anymore. I feel like I won the lotto today and saved myself so much money because I made the right choice in choosing Kaiser to be my provider! I have also had a major surgery happen several months back and have had only wonderful experiences with staff and the doctors and the facilities at Kaiser. I am and will be forever a Kaiser patron.

Everything is nice except the hours you waste here. Two out of three times, they have told me to sit and wait.
After an hour of waiting, when I go check what the problem is, I am told «Oh! We have to special order that!» or «Your doctor put it in your profile, but didn’t tell us to actually get the medicine».
You would think simply moving your eyes six inches onto the screen, so you could bother to check if there’s any problem, would be a good idea before you send me to wait for hours for nothing.

I had such a wonderful experience meeting with Inder Dillon, MD at the dermatology department. He is a wonderful man, very welcoming and driven to help his patience.

«Your prescription will be ready in 20 minutes».
[20 minutes later] «it should be ready any minute now»
«Fine, but I have a life, you know — other things to do. Can you text me when it’s ready?»
«Sure»
One hour after my text request — no prescription.
Kaiser gained over one million new customers with ACA, but they apparently think that there is no need to increase pharmacy staffing or budget. Plus, with kaiser, you’re stuck with their pharmacies — you can’t go to customer-​friendly pharmacies.
Next open enrollment, I’m saying, «bye-​bye Kaiser».

How in the world can you have but one pharmacy in a city of 750,000 and find this effective? Oh and parking is wonderful

This has to be the absolute worst pharmacy on planet earth. Every time I come here, regardless of the day of the week or the time of day, the wait is horrendous. How can it possibly take them an hour to get Rx Advil… Do they actually have a chem lab in the back and make it from scratch… I mean WTH… Just look at your monitor, count out 60 pills, stick on a label, and take my $ 5…

On Saturday, March 21, I visited the pharmacy at 2238 Geary to purchase three over-​the-​counter products ordered by my Kaiser provider. I arrived about ten minutes after they opened their doors.
There was a huge line practically out the door, no fewer than 30 people… and only ONE cashier. Usually there is a cashier line for OTC products. I went to the counter and asked if they would open a line for «OTC only,» but I was told, «we don’t have anyone to do that.» Honestly??? I saw at least a half-​dozen staff.
I asked the people in line, «are any of you purchasing only OTCs?» Several raised their hand. With only ONE cashier for the entire line, some of those folks toward the end of the line would have to wait an hour.
I would have gone to the pharmacy at the French campus but it’s closed on the weekends.
In the late afternoon I returned to the Kaiser pharmacy. Fortunately, there was a cashier for OTC products. I told him what happened. He apologized and said there should have been a cashier (I thanked him for his graciousness).
I tried to report what happened at Member Services. Of course, they were closed, too.

I’ve been here all different hours of the day and it’s a real blessing if you catch them slow. So please be patient on delays, they work under high volume pressure and still deliver. Go team

Line for drop off prescriptions was snaked through the pharmacy waiting room and extended all the way out to the lobby where the elevators are. The previous day orders line (my line) had 21 people in it ahead of me. I think it’s safe to say that they need more people working. One extra star because it’s clean and the waiting area is bigger than most.

Is this quality insurance? No.
With their butterflies, mountain-​scapes, pleasing music and voice-​over wellness commercials you’d think you’d be in good hands.
2 hrs waiting at the pharmacy for pain meds for an excruciating back problem — near riot conditions within the pharmacy with staff giggling behind the counter. It was 3^rd world in every sense. One employee yelling out the wait time, customers becoming agitated as other customers cut in line. Positively no management present.
I asked for the pharmacy manager. The clerk said: I don’t know who the manager is.
Wow.
Before that experience…
My doctor left the exam room with me on the table… I was critically unable to move… he just walked out and left me there.
The minute I can make a change through my employer, you can be sure I’ll be changing providers

Ok. This review is for Pharmacy counter worker Germane Nelson. No matter how many times I come in. I never get the opportunity to chat you up. So handsome and sexy. Why can’t I get to your window?

Horrendous service. Unbelievable that it costs hundreds of dollars per month for this treatment. I used to have different insurance and go to Walgreens. No problem there! Now I’m forced to go to this crowded, messy, dirty, disheveled pharmacy. Each one of the clerks who I’ve dealt with has been a nightmare. The woman I had the displeasure of working with today was slamming around my Rx and having a full on temper tantrum. Hate hate hate it here. They may as well spit at you from across the counter.
If you’re thinking I must be a horrible customer, think again. Absolutely polite from start to finish. I had the displeasure of working in customer service for ten years and treat everyone in a service position like gold. If they’re treating me this badly, I can only imagine how they are with less well behaved clients. Kaiser, get it together.

I did not know they had a Kaiser in the city, let alone such a nice one! I came here while in the city to take a friend to urgent care as she was not able to hold in anything after a long night of drinking. The nurse and the doctor were not only helpful but very nice. As a matter of fact, everyone I encountered from attendant in front to a random employee in the garage were all very helpful and nice.
While walking up from the parking lot, an employee getting off her shift held the door for us and told us where to go without me asking her.
The lady I checked in with was very nice to accept our walk-​in without an appointment and gave us the next available spot.
The nurse was sweet, caring and helpful. She made it a point to make us feel as comfortable as possible until the doctor arrived.
My only complaint is that we waited over an hour to see the doctor (which is no surprise to me since it is Kaiser) just for her to tell us it was too late to get an IV since they were closing soon. She did prescribe a strong dose of anti-​nausea medication which worked immediately, so that was nice.
Upon exiting, while paying for parking, I noticed that the amount they were asking for was $ 36 for less than 3 hours of parking. I remembered it was only $ 2/​per hour for the first 3 hours, but before I had a chance to react, the front door attendant told me to cancel the transaction. She then put my ticket through for validation and like magic the amount due was reduced to $ 5.
All and all it was a good experience, well as good as it could be for a hospital…

This facility is huge and is spread over a couple of blocks. The specific instructions that were given to my mom weren’t great and almost made us late. The coffee shop was good with a ton of variety and hot coffee drinks which were tasty. The whole place seemed to be packed and people waited a while for their doctors. You also have to pay for parking which is ridiculous in my opinion.

I was in and out just to refill a prescription! It couldn’t have been easier and the staff was helpful.

I vowed never to write negative Unilocal,but I have had it with Kaiser and their prescription order process. I left Kaiser years ago because I was frustrated with their ideology about pain management and for their inefficient prescription system. Now, I am stuck dealing with Kaiser again because I am caring for my aging parent. So here’s my story… Yesterday, I speak with my Mom’s nurse for over 30 mins about my mom and the nurse tells me the prescription will be ready. Knowing that they take a while with prescriptions, I go to the main pharmacy this morning at 9 am and the pharmacy did not have the order. I call the nurse’s station for my Mom’s doctor and they apologize and tell me they would call me back. When a nurse calls me back, she apologizes for the mistake and she tells me the prescription is «READY» at the main pharmacy. Yes, I did ask her to clarify the word «ready.» I get to the pharmacy, and the counter clerk tells me that it was «ordered» but «not processed.» I told him my story and he seemed to understand. He tells me that it can be filled in 15 mins and that he will call out my name. I wait… and wait. I did have a wonderful time speaking with 2 elderly gentleman sitting on either side of me who had similar complaints. After 15 mins, I saw my mother’s name on the screen. But, where was the guy who was suppose to call me?
I waited for 10 mins before I got in the long line. The line took about 15 mins until I got to the counter. When I got to the counter the lad y asked me, «so, how are you doing?» I said, «Pretty cranky and upset.» I then told her why. When she asked me who was suppose to call my name out, I looked over and the guy ran to the counter grabbed the prescription, and called out my Mom’s name. Again, everyone said sorry. I was looking for a customer satisfaction card, but they had run out. But as I thought about it, I had filled them out for years when I was a Kaiser member complaining about their prescription process. So, this is why I am Unilocaling this.

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