Lawsuit leads Kaiser to suspend kidney transplant program

By Cecilia Green

Published on May 25, 2006

The case, filed by Ella Haynes in Alameda County Superior Court, claimed that Kaiser botched paperwork, thereby removing several patients, including her husband, from the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

For some, having to wait for a kidney allowed more time for their condition to deteriorate to the point where they would not even be considered for a kidney if they did make it to the top of the list. Ella's husband, Ronald, was one of the unfortunate victims of this mistake. He died last year.

Even Ronald's doctor suggested multiple times that he travel to the Phillipines to get a kidney rather than wait around for Kaiser.

Problems for the health maintenance organization (HMO) began when Kaiser had kidney patients transfer from University of California hospitals to its new transplant center in 2004. However, paperwork and administrative errors were made during the process.

As a result of the lawsuit, Kaiser has suspended its San Francisco kidney transplant program. The program is currently under state and federal investigation.

This lawsuit is thought to be the first of many. At least 1,000 other patients may have been affected by these errors.

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