{"id":791831,"date":"2026-07-29T18:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/791831\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T18:40:12","slug":"union-kaiser-used-algorithm-to-triage-mental-health-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/791831\/","title":{"rendered":"Union: Kaiser used algorithm to triage mental health patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ana B. Ibarra<\/a>, CalMatters<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\""Mental\"
\n\t\t\t\tKaiser Permanente mental health care workers picket outside the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center during a companywide strike on Dec. 12, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by CalMatters<\/a>. Sign up<\/a> for their newsletters.<\/p>\n

A health worker union has accused Kaiser Permanente of screening patients and making care recommendations through \u201ca digital, automated algorithm\u201d without clinician oversight \u2014 a practice the union says violates state law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The complaint, filed with state regulators by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, targets the integrated healthcare provider\u2019s e-visit screening tool, which evaluates patients who think they may be experiencing anxiety or depression. Patients answer a multiple choice questionnaire, and the tool \u201cautomatically and instantaneously generates care recommendations and referral pathways based on the responses provided,\u201d the complaint states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not necessarily an appointment with an in-person therapist: recommendations also include referrals to virtual therapy, health education classes and self care apps, according to the complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The union represents therapists and social workers among other health workers at Kaiser facilities. According to the Department of Managed Health Care, which oversees health plans, this is the first time a union has filed a complaint against a health plan related to its supposed use of algorithms and artificial intelligence in behavioral healthcare.<\/p>\n

Union members say they\u2019ve seen no evidence that licensed mental health clinicians review patients\u2019 e-visit answers in real-time, or at all, before the tool issues recommendations for follow-up care. At a hearing held by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on this issue last week, therapists and social workers said that digital automated screenings cannot replace a clinician\u2019s assessment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,\u201d said Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a therapist and a member of the union\u2019s bargaining committee. She notes that people with depression commonly minimize their symptoms \u2014 so an algorithm relying solely on a patient’s answers may miss signs of a more severe condition.<\/p>\n

Kaiser skipped last week\u2019s hearing. But in an emailed statement to CalMatters, Kaiser pushed back on the union\u2019s characterization of its behavioral health processes.<\/p>\n

The e-visit tool \u201cdoes not use AI to diagnose patients, make clinical decisions, or determine medical necessity. Clinical decisions remain with licensed healthcare professionals,\u201d said Lena Howland, a Kaiser spokesperson. She did not provide more details about the technology behind the tool.<\/p>\n

Howland said patients can still reach a live person by calling a phone number displayed during the e-visit process. \u201cThe online screening tool \u201cis an additional path to getting care\u2014not the only path,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a blog post from last year<\/a>, Kaiser describes the e-visit tool as increasingly popular, especially among younger members, and available for about 30 health concerns. In the post, Kaiser says patients\u2019 answers \u201care reviewed by a health care professional\u201d and that members \u201creceive a response by secure message within 4 hours, and usually sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Union leaders counter that care recommendations typically come in almost immediately after completing the questionnaire. They argue no clinician can realistically be reviewing patients\u2019 answers that quickly.<\/p>\n

The union contends Kaiser\u2019s screening practice violates state law<\/a>, which requires that medical decisions come from a licensed healthcare professional and bars \u201cartificial intelligence, algorithms, or other software tools\u201d from supplanting that judgment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Department of Managed Health Care said it has received the union\u2019s complaint and is investigating. \u201cDetails of ongoing enforcement investigations are confidential in compliance with the law and to protect the integrity of the investigation,\u201d the department said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A shift in mental health triage<\/p>\n

The complaint lands in the middle of contract negotiations between the healthcare union and Kaiser Northern California, which have dragged on for more than a year without an agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therapists and health workers who spoke at last week\u2019s hearing said that a new triage system including the e-visit tool started in 2023. Before that, dedicated Kaiser triage teams made up of licensed clinicians \u2014 who could pick up on cues like tone of voice \u2014 took patients\u2019 brief histories over the phone, screened for self-harm, and provided a preliminary diagnosis and next steps in care.<\/p>\n

Now, the union says clerical staff or the tool do most mental health triaging. The healthcare union filed a separate complaint last year<\/a> alleging Kaiser used telephone service representatives, instead of clinicians, to answer mental health calls.<\/p>\n

\""A\"Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers picket outside the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center during a companywide strike on Dec. 12, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters<\/p>\n

Marcucci-Morris said she typically sees patients about two weeks after Kaiser\u2019s new system triages them. \u201cThe acuity and critical nature of symptoms I am seeing has increased significantly because the app, AI, an algorithm, or an unlicensed telephone operator incorrectly determined that they could wait 10 days to see me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

San Francisco Supervisor Chyanne Chen said she called last week\u2019s hearing because of concerns she\u2019d been hearing from constituents \u2014 both Kaiser employees and patients \u2014 about the health giant\u2019s mental health services. Kaiser serves about a third of San Francisco\u2019s population<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chen called Kaiser\u2019s absence from the hearing \u201cunacceptable,\u201d and said it left many of her questions unanswered.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a San Franciscan, I\u2019m not against technology,\u201d Chen said. \u201cFor me it’s making sure we\u2019re not shortcutting our quality of care and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaiser\u2019s troubled mental health record\u00a0<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Kaiser has skipped a hearing<\/a> on its mental health services. Last year, state legislators criticized the health plan after it declined to participate in an informational hearing about its behavioral health services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kaiser\u2019s mental healthcare problems are well documented. In 2023, Kaiser agreed to pay a $50 million fine and to invest $150 million to improve its programs in exchange for settling state findings that its behavioral health patients were experiencing serious delays in care. In 2021, California regulators had noted a jump in behavioral health-related complaints, which prompted regulators to conduct a survey that led to the settlement. Kaiser now operates under\u00a0 a corrective action plan<\/a> and must submit quarterly progress reports to the state.<\/p>\n

In 2014, state regulators fined Kaiser $4 million<\/a> for long wait times between therapy appointments. Kaiser has largely attributed<\/a> its past problems to a shortage of care providers.<\/p>\n

The health plan is also facing mounting criticism over its broader use of AI and digital tools in care.<\/p>\n

Kaiser\u2019s own mental health workers have objected to transcription tools<\/a> that record patient appointments, saying\u00a0 the company won\u2019t disclose how it uses or shares the data. Separately, call center nurses<\/a> have also raised concerns about Kaiser using AI and software to monitor their calls.<\/p>\n

Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on CalMatters<\/a> and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives<\/a> license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ana B. Ibarra, CalMatters Kaiser Permanente mental health care workers picket outside the Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791832,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,252,259,260],"class_list":["post-791831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}