I've heard that HMO administrators pressure physicians to discharge their patients from hospitals?

At Kaiser Permanente, clinical decisions are made by physicians working with their patients. The decision of how long a mastectomy patient stays in the hospital, or whether a hospital stay is recommended, is based on what is medically and psychologically appropriate for each individual patient.

Outpatient mastectomies (in which the patient goes home the same day of surgery) are becoming more common, and many women choose to recover in the comfort of their homes, with appropriate support, instead of in the hospital.

Kaiser Permanente does not require mastectomies to be performed on an outpatient basis, and there are no restrictions on coverage for overnight hospitalization, if this is what the physician recommends. If, after surgery, a patient's medical or emotional state indicates the need for an overnight stay, this care is provided. Our highest priorities are the successful outcomes of surgeries, and the emotional well-being of our patients.