I have nothing but respect for the hard work done by the Kaiser staff--especially the nurses. Many of them are saints. However, you will see too many of them, and you may be moved from room to room. You will probably see many doctors, too. However, none of them will really know you. None of them will be looking out for your interests. They may make mistakes with your medication or diet. If you are old and sick, they will be reluctant to save you. They will make up their minds about you purely because of your age. They may delay treatment for you, even if it would extend your life for several months, because they will assume that you are sickly and old and dying anyway. You need an advocate--someone who knows you and who knows what you want. Someone who can analyze the situation and the care you are receiving and explain it to you and confer with the several people who are treating you. Do NOT rely on your Kaiser primary care person or your health coach. The Kaiser staff is overworked, and they are obliged to follow the company chain of command. Besides, events unfold very fast in hospital situations, and just getting in contact with people and straightening out the information takes lots of time when everyone is so busy. If you don't have a friend or relative who knows medicine, hire someone who does to look out for you. If you are old, this is critical, because they will be more than willing to delay or minimize treatment for you. That's fine if you're ready to go--in fact it's desirable--but if you have some life left and things to do, or if you are not old and want to recover with your full health, get an advocate! And get lots of visitors! It makes a big difference if the docs and nurses know that people care for you. We'll get a better system someday, but until we do, find someone who will fight for you when you can't fight for yourself. Don't expect overworked and pressured docs and nurses to do it for you--even though a few of them will, and God bless them!
Pros: A few truly caring nurses and some excellent specialists
Cons: Overworked staff, one uncaring physician's assistant, and fragmented communication
more