Bonuses Were Paid to Cut Doctor Visits

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May 19, 2002

Bonuses Were Paid to Cut Doctor Visits

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

AN FRANCISCO, May 18 (AP) — Telephone

clerks at California's largest health

maintenance organization received bonuses

for keeping calls with patients brief and

limiting the number of doctor visits they

schedule.

The company, Kaiser Permanente, offered

the bonuses at three Northern California

call centers from January 2000 to December

2001, a company spokesman, Jim ,

said on Friday.

" At the end of the year they looked at,

`Were we doing a better job for members

than when we started it?' The thought was

no, " Mr. said. " The whole purpose

of this was designed to help serve members

better. "

The California Nurses Association, the

union representing Kaiser's registered

nurses, called the program deceitful and

harmful.

Cash bonuses were paid to those who made

appointments for fewer than 35 percent of

callers and spent less than an average of

three minutes, 45 seconds on the phone

with each patient.

State regulators recently opened an

investigation into the bonus program, said

Fisher, deputy director of the

state Department of Managed Health Care.