Received from a loving husband who lost his wife at the hands of Kaiser, only to be put through the full “Kaiser Treatment,” consisting of stonewalling, mutilated medical records and attempts to discredit him. Unfortunately he isn’t the first.
By Richard May
The Mays in happier times
This is going to be a very hard thing for me to relive, writing what Kaiser Fontana Hospital’s butchers did and didn’t do to my wife, which lead to her death.
Her primary doctor was Dr. Cliff Hwang. This man would not listen to the patient’s complaints or problems. He would always have tests run on her, and she would never hear the results from these tests. He would tell her that everything was fine, and the three problems she was having pertaining to her health were fine, and said that she was only looking for someone to complain to. Because he said that she was a compulsive complainer, we asked member services for another primary doctor for her. We were told that was impossible to do because her doctor had been her primary for a period of time and that changing was not going to be permitted.
My wife’s three problems were shortness of breath, gallbladder and kidneys. In 2003 her doctor told her that she had the beginning of osteoporosis, but it was nothing to be alarmed about and she would be fine. He would never give her a prescription for medication that would keep the osteoporosis in check to prevent her bones from deteriorating.
On September 8, 2006 her L1 vertebra collapsed and she became paralyzed from the waist down. At this time we were visiting in Missouri and I had to call an ambulance to transport her to an emergency hospital, where they discovered the collapsed vertebra. They also discovered that her gallbladder was infected and full of stones. She had to have an emergency operation to remove the gallbladder, and the surgeon told me that it could burst at any time and it would kill her instantly. I told that doctor that my wife had been complaining to her primary for five years and was told that it was fine. He stated that her primary was an idiot and a fool. He also said that she had to get back to Kaiser because they had a surgeon at their Sunset Hospital in L.A. that could repair the collapsed vertebra, and she would be able to lead a semi-normal life.
The Lovely Mrs. May
Kaiser hospital put off the operation for five months because of the cost of the operation. She waited from October 2006 to the end of February 2007 while Kaiser found excuses why they couldn’t operate. I threatened them with a lawsuit, and she was operated on the 28th of February, 2007. The operation was a failure because of all of the delays, and she existed on morphine until the day she died.
On August 28, 2007 she was rushed to emergency, then into ICU. I was informed by a dialysis doctor that if I wanted to save my wife’s life she would have to be put onto a dialysis schedule because her kidneys were not functioning at all. After nine treatments I was asked to have a meeting with the dialysis doctor, who asked if I was going to keep my wife on dialysis. I said yes, because I was told that was the only thing that would keep her alive, but then the dialysis doctor said that I was going to have to make a decision because my wife was going to die anyhow. I took her off of those treatments and she lasted another seven days. She drowned in her own bodily fluids and died on the 22nd of September, 2007. She then laid in Kaiser’s morgue for five days waiting for the doctor to sign the death certificate, and he put on the death certificate the cause of death: Renal Failure.
After my wife’s death, I went to member services and asked for copies of her medical records. At that time I was told that her medical records were missing. I told their record department to check with the senior members’ representative in Riverside, California — a women by the name of Carol Canady. I had to hire a lawyer at that time and he also requested a complete set of her records. I finally received a phone call from the record department saying that I could pick up the copies. There were 46 pages of records in that file I was given, and I was told that was the whole file. When my attorney requested the records he was told that there was a charge for them, and I sent him a check for $291.00 to pay Kaiser. He received 584 pages of records. Then he asked for a check for $1,000 to hire a person to look at these records and to determine if I had a case or not. I asked if he would give me the opportunity to look at the records before he hired an inspector, because I knew what was done for my wife and when it was done, but he said that he didn’t have the time for me to do that. When I insisted he quit representing me at that time, after fourteen months being my attorney.
Dr. Cliff Hwang ignored Mrs. May's complaints and refused to treat her medical problems
I took the time to go over the complete file and I discovered that there were eighteen pages missing. I filed a complaint with member services, and the next thing I was contacted by Kaiser’s attorney. He asked what I was trying to say regarding the missing records. I told him that Carol Canady and his office were damn thieves. This attorney’s name was Kenneth Pivo, and if any of you are contacted by him or his office be on guard. He then requested that I allow his office to give me a deposition of thirty questions. I requested a copy of the questions that I was going to be asked, and none of them were about my wife’s treatment while a patient at Kaiser. All of the questions were about me and why I was suing Kaiser. Did I need the money? Had I ever filed for bankruptcy? I refused to take the deposition, because Kenneth Pivo was trying to make me look like I was suing for money for myself. This was not the case.
Kaiser’s attorney hired a retired judge to determine the outcome of this case, and I received a call from this referee (judge). He stated that this call was a three-way conference call and the third person was Kenneth Pivo. The judge asked how many pages I received from the record department and I told him 584. He then stated that if I couldn’t make a case out of that many pages, I didn’t have much of a chance in suing. When I asked about the eighteen pages that were removed from the file before the copies were made, he said that had no bearing on this case. At that point I told the judge that Kenneth Pivo was a thief, a liar and a cheat, and the judge replied that I shouldn’t say that about this man because he knew how good of a person this attorney was. I then told him that I thought the two of them were sitting across from one another at that time, shaking hands with a smile on their faces. He replied, “Mr. May, you don’t have a case.” I stated at that time that they were both a couple of cheats and friends.
I received paperwork from the judge a week later dropping all charges against Kaiser, but what Kaiser doesn’t realize is that there is a time limit of twenty-five years when there is a death resulting from the treatment of its doctors. This is all my opinion, and I am allowed to do what I feel is best to make the public aware of Kaiser not giving a damn about the welfare or well-being of its patients. I am not through with Kaiser yet. My next step is with the District Attorney’s office. This has got to be made possible for the public to have complaints like this to be entered into public record.
Regarding this write up and the treatment and care my wife and I did and didn’t receive from Kaiser’s doctors, staff and their legal department, if anyone else has had the loss of a loved one, please give us all a few facts pertaining to your loss, and what you think caused the loved one’s death. I will be giving all of these facts to the District Attorney’s office. You can get in touch with me at (951) 212-4406 (cell).
R. May
I am sorry for your loss. Good luck w/the DA. Kaiser is very powerful (think CIA) so if the DA is brave enough to go against them (or to look as if he is)that will be your biggest hurdle. If he is, that will be a start. I wish you well in your fight.
I too have to agree with comment #1 don’t get me wrong. I am 100% on your side. Before I to on. I am truly sorry about your loss and the nightmare you both lived. It is me that tried to sue them back in 2001. Lawyer’s heard the name and immediately said you won’t win. I went in in 1999 leg pain. Ended up having a fusion. While still in the hospital I complained of severe pain in both legs after being told it was normal for 5 days. They did. Test and realized they had impinged my nerve root. So the doctors figured the bone had healed enough so they removed the one screw. Long story short I felt fine for the normal healing period and then immediately hurt again. For 9 months I complained constantly. Until they did some more test and found that where they removed the screw the fusion broke. I was 29 and now 45 on the strongest meds there are out there . I have spent all those years in pain nearly 24/7 Im headed back to surgery again soon because of they way they fused me has caused various problems over the years. I’m here still have all the records Kaiser gave me. Not complete either. Granet I have no tragedy, in most peoples eyes, I am still here. But it ruined me ( who I used to be) and took away my independents. I’m here if you need me. God bless and sorry again about your wife. Why can’t doctors listen to us. We know are bodies, they tell those signs & symptoms for a reason. The changing of doctors was a complete disregard to her medical rights. Shameful they are.
I hope you get them. Xo
Natalie
196,000 People die in US from Medical errors, that are prventable. I complained about the MDs who killed their patients to the VA Board of Medicine (VBM) I want them to publish the errors so that all of us can learn from our mistakes. But VBM refuses to investigate the good old boys.
I complained about the VBM to the Gov. and VA Gen, Assembly. The VBM took my medical license. I am taking them to court on 5-21-12 in Norfolk. I made a video about this. Beth may want to see it. here is the link:
http://vimeo.com/28330458
United States is the only country in the world that is butchering carefully selected patients and use them as guinea pigs. This is the result of the For Profit Health Care, created by a crook, Edgar Kaiser and approved by an other crook, President Nixon, who signed and approved The HMO Act of 1973. With that, they condemned the entire population of United States, to one day, be butchered, For Profit!
This is one of America’s dirty secrets, that we can, and must make it public. Is right, we can’t yet sue Kaiser Permanente and all the gangsters that are payed with tax payers money to protect the victims; in stead, they are protecting the perpetrators. What is happening today in US, is so disturbing and disgusting. Kaiser Permanente is not a legitimate health care provider; is in fact a subcontractor for the Big Pharma, CDC or any lab or drug manufacturer that needs a quick drug trial on humans, to obtain a quick approval for an other dangerous drug. What Kaiser Permanete never disclose is that all Kaiser hospitals are teaching hospitals; a MONEY MAKING MACHINE, and each of those so called hospitals have a Death Squad, a real Death Squad, that selects their victims, aggravate their condition, experiment new unapproved drugs and surgeries, until the victim dies. Their GME program, another money making machine; training students and doctors, from US and all over the world. All the training, all the butcheries is illegally done on lured, deceived, sedated and ambushed patients, that are never informed, that they are there to be buttered, for profit! Children are not spared! Kaiser Permanente and their gangster dressed in doctor uniforms, makes Hitler and all history mad mans, to turn in their grave. We don’t need to sue them; we have to expose all those predators, that instituted the Jungle Low in United States, affecting and ruining the life of millions of its citizens, in the name of greed and madness. They created a system of terror and dictatorship, while claiming that America is a democratic country. See what’s left of the mighty America! A shadow! A third world country; over 50 millions uninsured, hungry and homeless people; millions of hungry children. A disgrace! Expose Kaiser Permanente and educate the public: this is worst than any lawsuit. This is the only way, those assassins will face justice one day, soon! Google my name, Marin Pitu; watch video and Jupirena Stain’s videos. Educate you self, and help educate others.
Marin Pitu
I too am very sorry to hear of the loss of your wife. It’s infuriating to me that Kaiser is still going strong.
My Baby Lehna Jordann Brewer would be 6 years old on March 5th, 2012 if Kaiser had not intentionally let her die in 2006. As I celebrate her supposed Birthday this up and coming weekend, I continue my battle in bringing them to justice. It’s not possible to just sweep these things under the rug. Not going to happen.
Thank God for the admin of this site. She is a blessing to all of us. We have to stand together on this and not give up.
https://kaiserthrive.org/2007/03/04/happy-birthday-lehna-jordann-brewer/
http://stories.barackobama.com/healthcare/stories/193082/share
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-29-medical-records_N.htm
Kaiser is a formidable foe. It is a shame that you got a piece of crap for an attorney. When Kaiser gets sued, they will hire every attorney, only the best and the brightest, in the world to fight and discredit you. Sorry for your loss but, your best bet at this point is to file a complaint against the Doctor with the medical board and with the Department of Managed Health Care. The latter has statute of limitation but, you can always check. I don’t see much future with the District Attorney whereas the doctor basically killed your wife there has to be criminal intent before the DA does anything.
About mediation, Kaiser deals with hundreds of those a year so, their attorneys basically know every single Dick and Joe arbiter out there. Arbiters get their money by siding with the insurers because if they don’t, they would not get repeat business. They do make a ton of money with these puppies.
Sorry about your loss but, in this instance, the big guys one and a big loss for us, the small guys.
Yes, the neutral arbitrators are not neutral at all.
This was my quality “neutral” arbitrator, a real peach:
Judge put on probation, fined for sex incident:
http://www.iswface.org/images/Judge-arrest-prostitute.jpg
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am in a battle with Kaiser right now too who has given me sub par help and I am hanging on a thread for my life. I hope that none of the Kaiser doctors friends or family ever have to go through such a joke of a facility when they are ill because they won’t make it out alive. Kaiser are criminals. Pure and utter criminals. “Be Well And Thrive” because we will NOT be there when you don’t. All my love and sympathy to you and your loved ones and your amazingly strong wife.
Edelman PR — Kaiser’s online PRBS experts — paid a visit to this post today. I thought for sure they intended to leave an expression of sympathy for Mr. May, but nope, just lurking in the shadows as usual.
Click the image to enlarge
For those medicare patients and if you are admitted, you have the right to protest your discharge if you feel you have not been treated well.
Wife of one kaiser member who passed out and needed a defibrillator was told that he can go home and she said she wanted medicare second opinion and then the Kaiser end up doing the electro physiology study and had the Defibrillator placed.
about the medicare rights
http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/News/Archives/Hospital_NewDischargeRules.htm
If you are in an non kaiser hospital, let the physician treat you to tell the kaiser that you are not stable to transfer and have that facility treat you. make sure to communicate this to the out side kaiser physician and this is the only way to have your full exam and work up done.
Its a shame, But here I go again, it looks as though the D.A’s office has no jurisdiction on my case with Kaiser, they say that I have to file a complaint with the California Medical Board against my wifes primary doctor, (Cliff Hwang)Internal Medicine, the day I was able to get another primary doctor for my wife, THIS HAPPENED, we received a card in the mail from Cliff Hwang stating that she had an appointment with him at 10:30 a.m. we went to the hospital, payed our co-pay, went to the doctors office, they checked her in and put us in an examining room, when Cliff Hwang came into the room, he looked surprised and he said, what in the hell are you doing here today, we told him that we had received an appointment card from him, he stated that he didn’t have it sent, he then told my wife that she still wasn’t a happy person unless she could complain to him about things in her body that are O.K. he then told her that he couldn’t do another thing for her, he was through, he walked out, I helped my wife to her feet and helped her to get out of his office, we didn’t make it out of his office, she collapsed in his waiting area, I caught her before she hit the floor, Cliff Hwang was sitting on a stool, he looked up as my wife was falling, he didn’t even try to get his butt off of the stool, he watched as I held her up, until she could stand the pain from her gallbladder, she was passing another stone. I wheeled her out in a wheel chair, took her home, and I returned to member services and raised hell about her primary, the following monday she was given another primary doctor, my wife told me that same day that her doctors at Kaiser was going to let her die, so now I am going to file charges with the Medical Board against Cliff Hwang, this doctor and Kaiser Hospital knew of my wifes medical conditions and didn’t give a damn about her or her health problems, to me that is called (Intent)knowing something and doing nothing to correct it. Cliff Hwang caused my wifes death, and let it happen, this is going to be my charges brought against him, and I have medical proof of her health problems which eventually caused her death. its hell what you have to do and go thru before people will listen to your complaints which caused a death of a loved one. once charges are filed against this person, maybe the D.A’s office will consider checking this case out, and eventually bring charges against Kaiser and their legal representatives, who are crooked to the core. these are all my own opinions, and its my right to them. R.May
The DA has plenty of jurisdiction over negligent homicide by a physician if your name is Michael Jackson. Not so much if you are Richard May.
That is the world we live in, where money and greed rule over common sense and decency.
After reading commemts by others on this site, it makes me think about other things that Kaisers doctors and nurses tried to hide while my wife laid dieing in ICU, if you came to the hospital to look in at my wife, you were not allowed to enter her room unless you first put on a plastic gown, that covered you from your wrists,up to your neck,and below your waist, plus you had to wear latex gloves, while in the ICU unit my wife caught a terrible bowel infection called C-Diff,actual name (C-DIFFICILE)it ranges from mild diarrhea to life threating Colitas,the bug produces toxins that destroy the mucosal lining of the gut, it is a highly contagious disease, while in ICU there were 8 patients that caught this infection, all at the same time, after 20 days in ICU an Omsbudsman came to talk to me in her room, he walked in like he owned the place, told me that the hospital was going to move my wife out of the hospital and put her into a care center, I told this man, over my dead body, he said that they didn’t need my approval to move her, they were going to move her anyway, I told him that he wouldn’t be permitted to move her when the health dept got wind of what they were going to do, and put all of the ailing people in the care center at risk of catching this disease, he said in front of the head nurse, they won’t know anything about the move, I spoke up and said, they will know about it as soon as I could get there and report there deceiving ways, this all went on over my wifes unconscious body, he then stated that the paper work wouldn’t be ready for the transfer until monday, this was on a thursday the 20th of Sept, I told him at that time that my wife would probably do the hospital and their staff a favor over the weekend and pass away, she died Saturday morning the 22nd of Sept. before this man was allowed into my wifes room, the nurses had to wrestle this man out of the room and strip him of his suit coat and vest, and put a plastic monkey suit getup on him, he argued all the time this was happening to him, I spoke up and said existing in his hospital was hell on everyone, Kaiser Hospital doesn’t really care about their patients or the elderly people that they put into harms way, when they move patients out of the hospital because they are loosing money after the 20 days of patient medi-care coverage runs out. again, to all of you that have written comments after reading my story, I appreciate your thoughtfullness and condolences for me and our children. R.May
Comment: Getting older tends to let your mind forget important things that happened to a loved one, in 2006 my late wife was not receiving the medical treatments that were needed to correct or heal the health problems she was having, my first mistake was to file a complaint with member services, thats when a Ms Carol Canady appeared on my complaint, Carol Canady is Kaisers member service Rep. immediately she pulled my wifes medical records and somehow they disappeared from Kaisers Record Dept, this was in July 2006, the records were not at the hospital, they couldn’t be found, at that time I had requested a copy of her complete file. Carol Canady had removed the file from the hospital and took the files to her office in Riverside Ca. these files were missing until after my wife passed away in Sept 2007. when I request copies after her death, the record dept had only 46 pages of records, I suggested that the record dept check with Carol Canady and have her return the records, I found out later that it is against the law to remove medical records from the hospital property, where they are kept, while these records were in Carol Canadys hands, this gave her and Kaisers legal Rep the required time to check and look over 602 pages of records that showed where Kaisers Drs made mistakes in the treatments my wife received and didn’t receive, Kaisers Legal Rep, a man by the name of Kenneth Pivo, distroyed 18 pages of medical records, they said that they didn’t exist, what they didn’t know, I had every copy of medical treatments that my wife had received since 1998, I took the time to check the 584 pages I finally received, against my records, thats when I knew that they had removed these pages from the file. these missing pages showed where Kaisers Drs made horrible mistakes, when I threw these in the face of the Judge who handled this case, said that these pages had no bearing on this case against Kaiser, this shows that another Judge had been silenced in favor of Kaiser. R.May
The 22nd of Sept 2013 will be 6 years since the passing of my wife, I hate saying and thinking it was due to the Butchers at Kaiser Hospital Fontana, Ca. I have exhausted all avenues of the Legal Laws pertaining to the death of a Loved One at the hands of a Primary doctor who really didn’t give a dam about his patient or her health problems that he ignored for 9 years, when I look back now when my wife would tell her primary doctor that she wanted a second opinion from a Specialist, he would set it up for her, but what we didn’t realize at the time, the results of the Specialists findings were sent to her primary doctor, he would tell her that the second opinion results were the same as what he had been telling her for years, it was all in her head, she was classified as a constant complainer, I guess it must have been the constant complaining for years that killed her. we never did receive copies of the Specialists findings, her primary seen to that. R. May
hi,
I worled at Kaiser. what’s intetesting about the precautions employees and visitors required to take by wearing gowns before entering rooms. however, employees have been told they are to come to work with contagous diseases. even if employee has known MRSA or CDIFF , we were to make emplyees still come to work and handle patients with autoimminune disorders, or cancer patients, etc. the employees were and still are threatned with losing jo if they c as llef in sick. one employee had oozing sores all over face and nose, had been dx with MRSA and was put on a rotation of going into the tooms of very sick patientd to trest them. discusting!!!!!!!!
First I am so sorry for your lost,unfortunately kaiser cover ups their mistakes,mistreatment,and ruthless(preditorial) doctors with out shame and with malis.My records have been scrubed because I found out I was on Zithromax for atleast 3 years.This was flagged by a pharmacist in October stating to me this medicine comes with serious side effects which can be life threatning.For at least 3 years I had been in urgency care 3 times,emergency 2 times,informing my doctor of the same symtoms for over a year and what I got in return refusal to do anything for me.What blows my mind on being put on Zithromax (antibiotic) is it was prescribed for nausea and it causes nausea amongst other really bad side effects.Since I voiced concerns on this to member services all of my medicle records now show I was never on Zithromax.I do believe kaiser reps think their patients are idiots,but really they are the idiots.
for unethical standards and pratices conce my recordsthat an antibiotic should never be used outside extreme infections period and kaiser acting in this manner shows their guilt.
I lost both my parents to Kaiser Incompetente. Both to the same doctor. Head of the cardiology department in his hospital, even. I can’t prove any of it, since records are gone. But I heard enough and saw enough to know. Kaiser and its medical gangsters/quacks is the worst and a good example of how to ruin a once great health care provider.