Kaiser Richmond Medical Center

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Kaiser Richmond Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente
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Richmond Medical Center in downtown Richmond, California
Kaiser Richmond Medical Center
Geography
Location901 Nevin Avenue, Richmond, California, United States
History
Opened1942
Links
Website Richmond Medical Center
Lists Hospitals in California

Kaiser Richmond Medical Center is a large Kaiser Permanente hospital in downtown Richmond, California which serves 77,000 members registered under its medical plans. [1] It opened in 1995 replacing the historic 1942 Richmond Field Hospital that serviced Liberty shipyard workers and thus gave birth to the HMO. [2] [3] However it was deemed seismically unsafe and this new campus was built. [2]

Contents

History

Richmond Field Hospital, 1942

The current facility was built to replace an aging World War II era field hospital. [2] [4] The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital opened in 1942 to serve workers at the Richmond Shipyards who had signed up for the "Kaiser Plan", one of the first voluntary prepaid health plans and a direct precursor to the modern Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). [3] The original hospital closed in 1995. Along with the entire neighborhood of Atchison Village, it is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. [5]

Current facility, 1995

The current facility was built during the early 1990s at a cost of $50 million, and opened in 1995. [2] [4]

The hospital was originally one pavilion, but was expanded to three in the 1990s, including upgrading to a full hospital service including surgery and emergency. The hospital portion underwent further expansion in 2006. The hospital described as having "state-of-the-art" facilities upon opening has several ghost wards of that caliber. [2] [6] It was built with a fully operational intensive care unit that has never been opened or used in addition to several other inactive pavilions. [2] [6] The smaller field hospital had in fact maintained an ICU for this city until that point. [7] In 1997 the hospital stopped admitting patients overnight due to the fact that it only filled on average 20 of the 50 spaces in its overnight ward. [6] In 1998 hundreds of doctors, nurses, patients, and hospital members and users protested at Richmond Civic Center for the hospital to actually operate the full service emergency room that it was built for. [6] Advances in surgical techniques and medical practices in addition to cost cutting efficiency measures led to a dramatic decrease in hospitalizations in the 1990s from what had been forecast for the campus. [2] This led the hospital to try and lease some of its excess space and departments to Brookside Hospital, Doctors Medical Center Pinole, and the county hospital in Martinez. [2] In 1996 a home care division that sends nurses to the residences of terminally ill patients was added. [8]

The facility routinely receives victims of Richmond's industrial environmental catastrophes such as the General Chemical Company and PBE Polymers explosions or Chevron Richmond Refinery spills. [9] The Fire Chief is Jim Fajardo. [10] In such situations the Richmond Fire Department orders a shelter in place order, emergency warning sirens sound and dozens to hundreds are hospitalized here. [9] They are often brought by commandeered AC Transit buses. [9]

Hospital expansion in 2006. Construccionkaiserrich.jpg
Hospital expansion in 2006.

Recognition

Based on several metrics of excellence it was recognized as a top hospital in 2023.

Facilities

Richmond Medical Center has 41 departments and services offered to its members.

Emergency services

The hospital offers basic 24-hour emergency medical services. [11] There is also some emergency surgery performed here, but most are forwarded to Kaiser Oakland or John Muir Medical Center hospitals. [11]

Due to high crime the emergency department employs metal detector screening of most patients and visitors. Kaiserrichmond1.jpeg
Due to high crime the emergency department employs metal detector screening of most patients and visitors.

Special services

Richmond Medical Center has Benefits Advocacy and Social Services departments to assist those with the state funded Medi-Cal health plan. This is a health coverage for those who are on welfare, poor, disabled, and seniors. The department assists patients to access their benefits and navigate applications and appeals.

The hospital offers specialty services in transgender care. [12]

Richmond Medical Center offers Health Education workshops to educate their members about healthy lifestyles. There is a Breast Health Clinic. The hospital has a dedicated HIV services unit to assist patients who are HIV-positive. Home Health Care and Chronic Conditions departments provide advice on home care those with chronic conditions such as dementia, asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy, and also helps people with common afflictions such as seasonal allergies or influenza. There is a Respiratory Care department which is dedicated specifically to those with asthma, an illness which has a high incidence in Richmond. The rehabilitation department oversees physical therapy for those who have suffered severe injuries or amputations. There is an occupational health department which is dedicated to educating and treating patients with work related injuries. There is a speech therapy department which assists autistic children. The medical center has a teen clinic where adolescents may attend without the accompaniment or consent of an adult and without going to Pediatrics; it has a focus on sexual health and substance use. That unit works with the chemical dependency department which provides health care for those with addictions and recreational use of various narcotics such as alcohol, marijuana, prescription abuse, crack cocaine, and others. Toddlers are taken to the Early Start unit which provides motor skills and cognitive development and disease screening and offers classes for parents.

The hospital performs bariatric surgery and head and neck surgery on top of standard surgery.

Regular services

The hospital's standard departments and services are: Allergy, Gastroenterology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Cardiology, Podiatry, Hospitalists, Psychiatry, Radiology, Dermatology, Medicine, Dietician, Outpatient Services, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Otolaryngology, Oncology, Eye Clinic, and Orthopedics.

Richmond Medical Center has three on-site pharmacies and an on-site laboratory.

The hospital is located in Downtown Richmond and is accessible by AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit buses and on foot or via the free Kaiser Shuttle from the Richmond BART/Amtrak. [13] Free parking is provided to visitors at a connected garage.

Controversies

1997 Patient deaths

Main hospital entrance and parking path canopy Kaiser Richmond.jpeg
Main hospital entrance and parking path canopy

In April 1997 the hospital was chastised by federal investigators from the United States Health Care Financing Administration for several patient deaths and dangerous understaffing, among a 104 total violations. [11] [14] The deaths were investigated by the California Department of Health Services on behalf of the USHCFA and were found to be the fault of the hospital. [11] [14] [15] In fact the California Nurses Association had already reported repeatedly and to no avail that the hospitals were understaffed especially for critical care positions. [15] Kaiser claimed the nurses' complaints were motivated based on Kaiser's plan to reduce their salary and benefits, while the CNA contended they had been complaining for at least 2 years before their labor disagreement came into play. [7] Richmond Medical Center was also censured for sending patients to other hospitals via their own cars and not ambulances, even if they were alone and in labor, as a common practice. [15] Further violations for the hospital that were described by investigators and itself as "deficient" including poor recordkeeping, no standardized nor documented procedures, and understaffing of nurses in the emergency department. [16]

The deficiencies nearly led to Kaiser Permanente's losing its Medicare rating and therefore $2.9 billion in funding systemwide. [11] During the investigation the hospital had to stop admitting ER patients and was forced to send them to the next closest hospitals Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo and Kaiser Oakland. [11] When conditions warrant, patients are routinely sent to Children's Hospital Oakland, John Muir, or Kaiser Oakland. [11] Nineteen more nurses were hired and staffing of critical positions was increased. [15] Another step taken was an agreement for Brookside Hospital to accept an average of three critically ill patients daily. [16] It had been identified as a flaw that RMC had no agreement with another hospital to take in these patients, and in fact some died waiting for, or during transport to other hospitals. [16] In May 1997 the hospital and the health care organization were able to convince the government to reverse the decision after launching remediation actions at Kaiser Richmond and its mother campus in Oakland. [14] [15]

2011 home care violations

In 2011, Kaiser was described in a "scathing" report for having its terminally ill patients in home care, in immediate jeopardy due to serious violations in care. [8] Three nurses including one from the Richmond division were scapegoated by Kaiser according to the government, that did not believe it to be anyone's fault but the organization itself. [8]

Related Research Articles

In the United States, a health maintenance organization (HMO) is a medical insurance group that provides health services for a fixed annual fee. It is an organization that provides or arranges managed care for health insurance, self-funded health care benefit plans, individuals, and other entities, acting as a liaison with health care providers on a prepaid basis. The Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 required employers with 25 or more employees to offer federally certified HMO options if the employer offers traditional healthcare options. Unlike traditional indemnity insurance, an HMO covers care rendered by those doctors and other professionals who have agreed by contract to treat patients in accordance with the HMO's guidelines and restrictions in exchange for a steady stream of customers. HMOs cover emergency care regardless of the health care provider's contracted status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaiser Permanente</span> American integrated managed care company

Kaiser Permanente is an American integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield. Kaiser Permanente is made up of three distinct but interdependent groups of entities: the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (KFHP) and its regional operating subsidiaries; Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and the regional Permanente Medical Groups. As of 2023, Kaiser Permanente operates in eight states and the District of Columbia, and is the largest managed care organization in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry J. Kaiser</span> American industrialist (1882–1967)

Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American health care. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of those that built the Hoover Dam. He established the Kaiser Shipyards, which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care for his workers and their families. He led Kaiser-Frazer followed by Kaiser Motors, automobile companies known for the safety of their designs. Kaiser was involved in large construction projects such as civic centers and dams, and invested in real estate, later moving into television broadcasting. With his wealth, he established the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan, charitable organization.

The term managed care or managed healthcare is used in the United States to describe a group of activities intended to reduce the cost of providing health care and providing American health insurance while improving the quality of that care. It has become the predominant system of delivering and receiving American health care since its implementation in the early 1980s, and has been largely unaffected by the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

...intended to reduce unnecessary health care costs through a variety of mechanisms, including: economic incentives for physicians and patients to select less costly forms of care; programs for reviewing the medical necessity of specific services; increased beneficiary cost sharing; controls on inpatient admissions and lengths of stay; the establishment of cost-sharing incentives for outpatient surgery; selective contracting with health care providers; and the intensive management of high-cost health care cases. The programs may be provided in a variety of settings, such as Health Maintenance Organizations and Preferred Provider Organizations.

Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) is a general medical/surgical and teaching hospital in San Francisco, California. It was created by a merger of some of the city's longest established hospitals and currently operates three acute care campuses.

Sidney R. Garfield was an American medical doctor and a pioneer of health maintenance organizations. He co-founded the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system with businessman Henry J. Kaiser. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1928, which is now called the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

John Muir Health is a hospital network headquartered in Walnut Creek, California and serving Contra Costa County, California and surrounding communities. It was formed in 1997 from the merger of John Muir Medical Center and Mount Diablo Medical Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Hospital (Oakland, California)</span> Hospital in California, United States

Highland Hospital is a public hospital in Alameda County, Oakland, California. It is operated by the Alameda Health System. It is the primary trauma center and a county hospital in Alameda County.

Sutter Health is a not-for-profit integrated health delivery system headquartered in Sacramento, California. It operates 24 acute care hospitals and over 200 clinics in Northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital</span> United States historic place

The Kaiser Richmond Field Hospital was the first Kaiser Permanente Hospital and is a historic site resource of the city of Richmond, California, and a contributing property to Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hospital provided health services for surrounding communities until 1995 when it was replaced by the then state-of-the-art Richmond Medical Center in downtown Richmond. The field hospital is now closed and remains in its original location in South Richmond along Cutting Boulevard.

Healthy San Francisco is a health access program launched in 2007 to subsidize medical care for uninsured residents of San Francisco, California. The program's stated objective is to bring universal health care to the city. Healthy San Francisco is not a true insurance program, as it does not cover services such as dental and vision care, and only covers services received in the city and county of San Francisco. The program itself acknowledges its limitations, and has stated that "insurance is always a better choice." Healthy San Francisco represents the first time a local government has attempted to provide health insurance for all of its constituents. The program is open to low-income city residents over the age of 18 who do not qualify for other public coverage, and who have had no insurance for at least 90 days. Eligibility is not conditional on citizenship, immigration, employment or health status. The program covers a range of services, but only pays providers within San Francisco. By July 2010, almost 90% of the uninsured adults in San Francisco — over 50,000 people — had enrolled in Healthy San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clara Valley Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, commonly known as Valley Medical Center or simply Valley Medical, is a prominent 731-bed public tertiary, teaching, and research hospital in San Jose, California. Located in the Fruitdale neighborhood of West San Jose, Valley Medical Center is the anchor facility of the Santa Clara County Health System, serving Santa Clara County. Valley Medical is home to numerous innovative research and care centers, such as the Rehabilitation Trauma Center, the only federally-designated spinal cord injury center in Northern California.

Alameda Health System (AHS), formerly Alameda County Medical Center (ACMC), is an integrated public health care system organized as a public hospital authority.

St. Rose Hospital is an independent, non-profit hospital located in Hayward, California. It is a designated cardiac arrest receiving center in the Alameda County emergency medical services system, and provides basic emergency medical services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctors Medical Center San Pablo Campus</span> Hospital in California, United States

Doctors Medical Center was an eight-story, 120-bed public hospital in San Pablo, California which served 250,000 residents in western Contra Costa County from 1954 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaiser Oakland Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Kaiser Oakland Medical Center is a hospital in Oakland, California. It is located at the intersection of Broadway and West MacArthur Boulevard, immediately north of Downtown. It is the flagship hospital of Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed care organization in the United States, through its Kaiser Foundation Hospitals division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital</span> Hospital in California, United States

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital is a children's hospital system in San Francisco, California, subordinate to the University of California, San Francisco. It has four campuses: the Parnassus Campus, the Mount Zion Campus, and the Mission Bay Campus, and the Oakland campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Tyson</span> American health executive (1959–2019)

Bernard J. Tyson was an American health executive. He was the CEO of integrated managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente, the largest such organization in the United States, which provides health care to 12 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine</span> Medical school in California, USA

The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is a medical school associated with the Kaiser Permanente health system and located in Pasadena, California. The school matriculated its inaugural class of 50 students in July 2020. In November 2019, the school was renamed in honor of late Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson.

References

  1. ↑ Richmond Medical Center, Nursing Pathways Northern California, retrieved September 8, 2007
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kaiser Richmond goes hunting for customers
  3. 1 2 Rotating Editor/Scribe: Tom Waller (March 9, 2007). "Richmond, California Rotary Club. The Program. National Park Superintendent Martha Lee, on Richmond's Home Front National Historic Park". The Flywheel. Retrieved 2012-03-24. Martha Lee, a General Superintendent with the US Department of the Interior's National Park Service...reminded us...'The Kaiser Field Hospital...was the center of the nation's first prepaid health care system and was a precursor of today's HMO's'.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. 1 2 "Kaiser Permanente Field Hospital" (PDF). National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "Rosie the Riveter--World War II Home Front National Historical Park". National Park Service.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Staff Ralies for Hospital in Richmond, Suzanne Espinosa Solis, San Francisco Chronicle, 01-09-1998, access date 23-03-2012
  7. 1 2 Nurses accuse Kaiser of fatal delays in care, Katherine Bowman, San Francisco Chronicle, 13-03-1997, access date 23-03-2012
  8. 1 2 3 Grievances against Kaiser, Janet Wells, San Francisco Chronicle, 22-05-2011, access date 24-03-2012
  9. 1 2 3 Richmond Fire Department
  10. ↑ Man dies in recycling plant explosion, 27-10-2012, access date 03-07-2012
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kaiser Richmond Stops Admitting New Patients, Elaine Herscher, San Francisco Chronicle , 18-04-1997, access date 23-03-2012
  12. ↑ Kaiser Permanente East Bay Departments & Services, KP.org, 2012, access date 24-03-2012
  13. ↑ AC Transit map
  14. 1 2 3 U.S. to restore Kaiser Funding, San Francisco Chronicle, 07-05-1997, access date 23-03-2012
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Inspectors criticize care at Kaiser, Elaine Herscher, San Francisco Chronicle, 04-06-1997, access date 23-03-2012
  16. 1 2 3 Staffing shortfalls found in Kaiser emergency units, Elaine Herscher, San Francisco Chronicle, 04-04-1997, access date 23-04-2012

37°56′14″N122°21′37″W / 37.93729°N 122.36028°W / 37.93729; -122.36028

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