U.S. Begins Kaiser Probe

Federal regulators launched a surprise inspection Monday of Kaiser Permanente’s fledgling kidney transplant program in San Francisco after The Times documented widespread problems there.

Inspectors from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are reviewing patients’ charts and internal documents, and interviewing staff members to determine whether Kaiser’s transplant center meets standards to continue receiving federal funding, said Jeff Flick, the agency’s regional administrator.

Such reviews are typical when regulators learn of serious allegations involving a hospital or other health facility.

Flick said he didn’t know how long the Kaiser inspection would take.

“Obviously, it’s too early to know anything,” he said. If problems are found, regulators typically ask for improvements in a program, but in extreme cases they can cut off federal funding.

Kaiser spokesman Rick Malaspina said hospital staffers are cooperating with the investigation.

The Times reported last week that Kaiser put patients at risk with its 2004 move to perform in-house kidney transplants for its Northern California members rather than continue to contract for the operations at UC San Francisco and UC Davis.

The number of transplants dropped sharply, leaving many patients on prolonged dialysis, which can lead to complications and reduce prospects for a successful transplant.

Hundreds of patients were stuck in limbo for months -- with no hope of receiving new kidneys -- because Kaiser failed to properly handle paperwork, The Times reported.

In addition, 25 Kaiser patients who had been treated at UC San Francisco were denied the chance to receive kidneys that were nearly perfectly matched to them because Kaiser directed the university to reject the organs during the transition between programs, the newspaper’s investigation found.

Kaiser officials said they are conducting an internal investigation into the program and are in the process of contacting the 2,000 patients on the Kaiser waiting list to answer their questions and listen to their concerns.

The officials have also said they would bring in independent reviewers to study the transplant unit, and that they would release the findings publicly.