Wellness

[Madisson]

Oh, please! DH and I have both worked at Kaiser in the past. We are now retired, but still occasionally fill in.

I've worked at many hospitals. Kaiser is a fantastic place to work compared to most of them. Believe me, they follow all the rules and always receive top-level accreditations.

No hospital is flawless, but Kaiser is a big award-winning hospital, as well as a fantastic and safe place to both work or be a patient.

[Kathlen]

On 3/31/2014 chickenbutt said:

If you can avoid Kaiser, that would be advantageous to you. I remember when I lived in LA the motto was 'Kaiser Kills'. I knew some people with some horror stories. One of them involved what Kaiser did to their baby. It was just horrible. I've never seen anything like it since.

I had Kaiser for the 15 years I lived in California ... never a problem. Treatment, referrals, etc. were excellent.

[sueinsf]

I have found Kaiser good for some things (efficiency, cost, online capabilities) and not so good for others. Sometimes I have found the medical care pretty good, other times not. But, this is my first experience with an HMO. Have to say, it's not my first choice, but this is all my employer offers.

[fortune]

On 3/31/2014 mistriTsquirrel said:

Hi Fortune!

I don't have an answer to your questions, but I hope you, Jasper and the rest of your family are doing well.

Love,

mistri

I haven't had a chance to respond to your latest news about your dad. I'm so sad that he is in such bad shape. You are so strong and are doing such a wonderful job of informing people about esophageal cancer! I'm sure you've saved some lives already. Despite your feelings of inadequacy, it sounds to me as if you are one strong person!! Your family is lucky to have you! I hope you will take good care of yourself so that you can continue to be your family's leader.

Jasper says "hello" and sends furry kisses to you et al!

[mistriTsquirrel]

On 3/31/2014 Fortune said:

On 3/31/2014 mistriTsquirrel said:

Hi Fortune!

I don't have an answer to your questions, but I hope you, Jasper and the rest of your family are doing well.

Love,

mistri

I haven't had a chance to respond to your latest news about your dad. I'm so sad that he is in such bad shape. You are so strong and are doing such a wonderful job of informing people about esophageal cancer! I'm sure you've saved some lives already. Despite your feelings of inadequacy, it sounds to me as if you are one strong person!! Your family is lucky to have you! I hope you will take good care of yourself so that you can continue to be your family's leader.

Jasper says "hello" and sends furry kisses to you et al!

Thank you, Fortune.

I am scared about how things will go with my father...but I don't feel completely inadequate...just uncertain at times. I am determined to see things through and to alert others about the danger that heartburn poses...and I have found a mentor. She knows what I am going through, and that I cannot be as active of a force as I would like to be right now, but that I will devote more time to the cause when I am able.

I hope you are enjoying the heck out of your granddog!!! My "sister" is still a source of comfort to my dad when he is okay with having her near (sometimes her energy is too much for him!) Unfortunately, my pet rat, Carmine, passed away. He was pretty old for a rat, and he kept on truckin to the very end...so it wasn't a long, drawn-out death for him; he collapsed near his bowl, and that is where I found him, still warm. He was a sweet boy, and I miss him.

I still have Carl here. Pretty soon Carl and I will be staying at my parents' house for awhile. I hope he doesn't miss his t.v. too much, but Papaw needs our help, so he'll have to tough it out!

Thank you so much for your kind words, Fortune!! I'm sending kisses back to you and Jasper!!

Love,

mistri

[Raider Fan]

For a good part of my life I have heard a whole lot of Kaiser horror stories and actually experienced one with my best friend. It was sort of a bay area joke. A HUGE lot has changed with Kaiser the last 15 years, younger very good doctors are anxious to get IN to Kaiser. The Dr.s have almost no paperwork. They spend a LOT of time with their patients. They are younger and really INTERESTED in helping people, practicing their craft. These are things that have completely changed the once dreaded place that none of us would ever think about going to. Yes, it has a huge presence in the SF bay area and Sutter Health is taking up the slack. There are still Kaiser hospitals, in my area, that I would not step foot in, but mine has a great rep. DH and I were doing just fine until our health care got ripped out from under us. When it happened I never said a word on this board. We got turned upside down. It is political junkola so I didn't say anything. I am only writing this now in the context that I have faith in Kaiser. I looked up my Dr. online, could see where she went to med school, what honors she received, where she interned, etc. and her philosophy about caring for patients. I had my pick of over 60 Dr.s just in a small 10 mile radius. Kaiser would let me meet and interview as many as I wanted. I chose very carefully and when I met her we talked at length about her medical education and what I wanted in the Dr. I would choose. It actually is pretty cool to do this. Kaiser encourages it and if I decide I really don't like my doc, I can do it all over again. In real life, how many chances to you get to do what I am doing?

[Nikalette]

kaiser has been great for me and my family. I have a Sutter doctor that I got when I worked for the, and I am very happy with her but if I had to switch, it would be Kaiser. still, you willhave to use their specialists. I was able to get an educational evaluation for. my daughter paid for by Kaiser because they did not have one in network. in our area they have the highest rating, 5 star, for their medicare program,

thank you for reminding people that acid reflux puts you at high risk for head and neck cancer.