Kaiser to pay $49 million to California for illegally dumping private medical records, medical waste

[PeteS in CA]

Kaiser to pay $49 million to California for illegally dumping private medical records, medical waste

https://apnews.com/article/kaiser-permanente-blood-body-parts-dumpster-fine-fb0e97f7cafb738d34047717baa537b9

Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $49 million as part of a settlement with California prosecutors who say the health care giant illegally disposed of thousands of private medical records, hazardous materials and medical waste, including blood and body parts, in dumpsters headed to local landfills, authorities said Friday

Prosecutors started an investigation in 2015 after undercover trash inspectors found pharmaceutical drugs, and syringes, vials, canisters and other medical devices filled with human blood and other bodily fluids, and body parts removed during surgery inside bins handled by municipal waste haulers. They also found batteries, electronic devices and other hazardous waste in trash cans and bins at 16 Kaiser medical facilities throughout the state, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

This is Holy Bleep! grade on multiple levels! Major HIPPA violation, bio-hazard, hazardous wastes, all in landfill-bound waste dumpsters. Some of the violations, at least, were committed at 16 known Kaiser facilities. Proper disposal of patient records, bio-hazard material, and hazardous wastes cost more than landfill disposal. Some facility manglers tried to cheap out and got caught.

[Kamaji]

[GtHawk]

A whopping $49 million dollar fine...That'll larn em! While profit and loss changes from year to year and Kaiser posted losses for 2021 and 2022(gee I wonder what happened then) for 2023 it is a dramatically different story.

Net income for the three months ended March 31, 2023, landed at $1.2 billion, up from a $961 million loss reported during the same period in 2022, the organization shared Friday evening in a press release.

I don't think the fine is much of a deterrent and I'm sure that the Kaiser personnel at the top of the locations committing those grave offenses were well aware of what was occurring and no doubt were rewarded with hefty bonuses for their...cost cutting successes.

Oh a disclaimer, I detest Kaiser, I received substandard treatment from them which led to greater injuries to my spine, they are above all else in search of profit.

[PeteS in CA]

While my "experience" with KaiPerm is mostly second hand and scant, I am glad my employers' health plans the past several decades have not been KaiPerm. They do poorly with continuity of care and patient history, and worse in a couple of cases with unusual and serious condition/injury (fortunately in one case, the baby's parents were able to get around the bureaucracy and get the seriously needed surgery).