Neuropsychologists at Kaiser

Our experience with Kaiser's neuropsych evaluation is now outdated (2016) so things may have changed. However, I can confirm that it was so subpar that when I ran across it recently while clearing out files, I had absolutely no idea that it WAS a neuropsych evaluation. I read it over a few times, traveling back in time to our challenging experiences with Kaiser's mental health care system. To be honest, it looked like Kaiser had a template of stock phrases that could be input into a report. The introduction, summary and conclusions seemed to have little to do with our daughter and our family system. I'll be interested to see if things have changed as you receive responses. I would hope so, or that we just got the "wrong psychiatrist." We were advised at the time by a therapist "outside of Kaiser" (such a frequent phrase used among Kaiser patients!") to get on a waiting list at UC Berkeley's Psychology Graduate school because their neuropsych evaluations were done by graduate students receiving expert supervision. We were forewarned that the wait could be up to six months. We got on the waiting list but decided we wanted to speed up our timeline, so we used Clearwater Clinic and had an outstanding neuropsych eval done. BTW, we got a call from UC Berkeley after a 6 week wait, but by then had already started working with Clearwater. I have now read over 100 neuropsych evals. Because a thorough and informative evaluation is so important to receiving  appropriate support for your child and family, getting a good one is key. My hope is that Kaiser has improved in this area. All the best in your process... 

Kaiser does them but only for specific cases. Otherwise they contract out. Are you already connected to Behavioral Health? That will make a difference too. I work there so understand some of the nuances. 

our experience was also sub-par--not individual clinicians per se, some of whom seemed great but were working within serious constraints--but rather the process. we did indeed have to go for a private eval in the end, to get a clear and comprehensive picture. (we ended up at summit center in walnut creek.)

in my understanding, kaiser simply won't do anything like a comprehensive neuropsych, at least not without other co-occurring biological problems they determine warrants it. they also compartmentalize. so, for example, ADHD is its own clinic (although they quit doing in-person observations when covid started, and maybe still haven't brought them back--both my kids were primarily evaluated through forms), and ASD has its own, separate clinic with different evaluators. they also told me they would not do cognitive testing unless there's a suspected marked developmental delay. in our case, this was a real problem because the key to supporting my kid was understanding his complicated twice-exceptional profile (i.e. cognitively gifted plus learning disorder/s and/or other disabilities). there is a lot of skill and nuance involved in getting that right, or as right as the DSM allows... 

it's an entirely different experience to work with one clinician who spends hours with your kid getting to know them, who has a much more expansive range of metrics to choose from, and who can work closely with you to understand results, their thinking, and their recommendations. and yeah, that costs big! we've been bummed but frankly unsurprised about kaiser's inability to support us with any of this. i hope others have had better experiences, but so far I haven't heard of any :/

(in some cases, folks get what they need from school districts, but that comes with its own different set of challenges, is governed by different rules, and is i believe almost never a comprehensive neuropsych of the kind you are hoping for...)

sending you fortitude and it's awesome for your kid that you're working on this now, to help pave a smoother path for them!

I gave up on Kaiser and just went the private route- Kim Thompson at East Bay ADHD, which was great.

Don’t let Kaiser get away with not providing care. Find out what it is you want and need for your child and put it in writing as a formal grievance you file with KP. You can do this online. KP has 30 days to respond or less, if urgent. If they don’t provide what you believe is adequate or needed, go outside KP and then file again with KP to get reimbursed and also, if necessary, file a complaint with the DMHC, the California Dept of Managed Health Care. You can do this online very easily. This how the DMHC learns of insurers/providers shortcomings and denials and it can compel treatment and payment. There is no lawful reason why you, if insured, should be paying out of pocket for out of network necessary care.