State regulators have ordered Kaiser Permanente to stop denying members access to physical, occupational and speech therapy services.
The cease-and-desist order — issued Monday by the California Department of Managed Health Care — follows member complaints that Kaiser denies coverage for these services for non-physical conditions such as developmental delays, stuttering and autism without determining medical necessity.
“Kaiser Health Plan’s policy to deny physical, occupational and speech therapy services for non-physical conditions is not permitted under the Knox-Keene Act,” Anthony Manzanetti, DMHC’s chief of enforcement, said in a news release. “The DMHC is taking this action to ensure Kaiser follows the law.”
The DMHC action was applauded Tuesday by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents more than 2,200 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapist and other mental health clinicians in California.
The union — which is in the midst of contentious contract negotiations with Kaiser — released a report in November that blasts Kaiser for denying patient care for certain mental health conditions.
“DMHC’s action reinforces what we’ve been saying for months about Kaiser’s failure to provide its patients with timely and appropriate mental health services,” Clem Papazian, a licensed clinical social worker who works for Kaiser in Oakland, said in a statement.
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