Couple, HMO fight in court over baby's care

Here we go, get the lawyers involved....hospital admission requiring legal assistance...it appears if our current process continues, legal issues too could be come more important than saving lives too...sad this is happening in this county....along with the shortage of physicians to take care of us...will anyone ever want to pay the bill?  BD

Last year the state handled more than 1,100 patient appeals seeking independent medical reviews when a health plan denied a treatment. Reviewers found in favor of consumers about 40% of the time.

A highly unusual battle erupted in a San Diego courtroom Friday, with parents of a severely premature baby seeking to force healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente to move their son to a better-equipped hospital in hopes of saving his life. In the morning, Superior Court Judge Kevin Enright gave Kaiser's San Diego hospital 24 hours to transfer 7-week-old Andrew Balaka-Long to a higher-level neonatal intensive care unit outside the Kaiser network. His father, a gynecologist, had argued that Kaiser had bungled the boy's care -- an allegation Kaiser vehemently denied.  Hours later, however, Enright rescinded his order after Kaiser lawyers told him that they could not find another hospital willing to accept the infant. The judge asked both sides to return to court Tuesday morning.

The babies' father, Dr. James M. Long, who does not work for Kaiser, believed Andrew would be better served at a different hospital that could provide a higher level of care. But the health plan refused, saying a transfer was not medically necessary. Last week, Long appealed the denial to the state Department of Managed Health Care.

Couple, HMO fight in court over baby's care - Los Angeles Times