A Kaiser Permanente systems outage has pharmacies relying on pen and paper

Kaiser Permanente is experiencing a system outage that is causing delays in various services, including lab, radiology, and pharmacy online and in facilities.
The outage is forcing pharmacies to rely on pen and paper for prescription filling, leading to long wait times, reportedly up to an hour for simple prescriptions.
The issue is affecting Kaiser Permanente’s regional websites, including those for Northern California and Oregon/SW Washington, with some features unavailable or slow to load.
Members can check the status of services on kp.org, but technical teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Kaiser Permanente has acknowledged the outages and is providing updates on its social media channels, including X (formerly Twitter), with a statement promising to restore services “as soon as possible”.

Healthcare company Kaiser Permanente is dealing with a system outage that is forcing its hospitals and pharmacies to fill out prescriptions with pen and paper — and is slowing down services at other parts of the company, too.

“Kaiser Permanente is currently experiencing network interruptions, at one of our data centers, which is impacting some of our applications,” Kaiser Permanente spokesperson Kathleen Campini Chambers says in a statement to The Verge. “All of our clinical facilities are operational. However, members may be facing delays in certain services such as lab, radiology, and pharmacy online and in our facilities. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. Our technical teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Members can go to kp.org for updates.“

The company is also showing alerts on its regional websites, including for Northern California and Oregon / SW Washington. “At this time, you may not be able to access some features on our site, including e-visits, billing, message center, and records,” Kaiser Permanente says.

One Verge staffer saw the problems firsthand today while trying to get a prescription filled at a Kaiser hospital pharmacy. They said all the pharmacy’s systems were down, including payment terminals, and that the pharmacists had to fill out a point-of-sale form to fill the prescription. Staffers at the pharmacy warned about long wait times, saying it could take an hour to fill a simple prescription.

A thread on Reddit also includes reports of issues from places like Southern California and Maryland. Kaiser Permanente has also been replying to users on X, saying that it is “aware of the system outages” and that it is “working to restore services as soon as possible.”

Update, May 28th: Added statement from Kaiser Permanente.

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Q. What is causing Kaiser Permanente’s system outage?

A. A network interruption at one of their data centers, which is impacting some of their applications.

Q. How is the outage affecting Kaiser Permanente’s hospitals and pharmacies?

A. The hospitals are operational, but members may face delays in certain services such as lab, radiology, and pharmacy online and in facilities.

Q. What services are currently unavailable due to the outage?

A. Members may not be able to access some features on the site, including e-visits, billing, message center, and records.

Q. How long can it take to fill a prescription at a Kaiser hospital pharmacy during the outage?

A. It could take an hour to fill a simple prescription due to the systems being down.

Q. Are there any reports of issues from other locations besides Northern California and Oregon/SW Washington?

A. Yes, there are reports of issues from Southern California and Maryland on social media platforms like Reddit and X.

Q. How is Kaiser Permanente responding to the outage?

A. The company is replying to users on X, saying they are “aware of the system outages” and working to restore services as soon as possible.

Q. Is the outage affecting all of Kaiser Permanente’s services?

A. No, clinical facilities are operational, but some services are delayed or unavailable due to the outage.

Q. Can members get updates on the status of the outage?

A. Yes, members can go to kp.org for updates on the situation.

Q. How long has the system outage been ongoing?

A. The article does not specify the duration of the outage, but mentions that it is currently ongoing and being worked on by technical teams.

Q. Is Kaiser Permanente taking responsibility for the outage?

A. Yes, according to a statement from a spokesperson, “Kaiser Permanente is currently experiencing network interruptions… We deeply apologize for the inconvenience.”