News release: Colorado - Denver/Boulder

September 23, 2004

For more information, call:
Jacque Murphy Montgomery
Kaiser Permanente, , Media Relations Coordinator
Phone: (303) 344-7410
Pager: (303) 203-8243
E-mail: Jacque.Montgomery@kp.org

Kaiser Permanente rates among the nation's top 10 health plans for the second year in a row

Denver, CO – For the second consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the only health plan in the state to rate among the top 10 in the nation for effectiveness of care, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Kaiser Permanente Colorado was among the top 15 health plans in the nation three years ago.

The nation's leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of health care, NCQA evaluates more than 260 health plans across the nation each year, reviewing a variety of measures that impact overall quality of care provided, such as immunizations, mammograms, and diabetes management. Kaiser Permanente is the only health plan west of the Mississippi River to be rated in the top 10.

"Our patients already know what the rest of this community should know. Kaiser Permanente is a terrific place to get high-quality care," said Kaiser Permanente's Executive Medical Director, Jack Cochran, M.D. "The children we care for are more up to date on their immunizations, those with asthma find they can play more often outdoors, and patients needing care after heart attacks often live longer, healthier lives."

Kaiser Permanente rates above the national average in nearly all of the areas of care evaluated and tops the list in managing cholesterol levels following a heart attack. Of the 95 percent of Kaiser Permanente's patients who received regular cholesterol checks after a heart attack, 94 percent had their cholesterol levels under control—the highest percentage in the nation examined by NCQA.

Other areas where Kaiser Permanente rated in the top five are:

Eye exams for people with diabetes—scored second in the nation, 29 percent above the national average.
Cholesterol management screening—scored fourth in the nation, 15 percent above the national average.
Lipid control in diabetics—scored fifth in the nation, 17 percent above the national average.

"Kaiser Permanente Colorado is to be commended for being rated one of the top 10 plans in the nation. We applaud Kaiser Permanente's achievement and ongoing commitment to delivering the best possible care to its members" said Margaret E. O' Kane, president, NCQA.

"It's great that our commitment to quality has been recognized year after year by the NCQA," said Chris Binkley, president of Kaiser Permanente's Colorado region. "We know what a stellar job our physicians, nurses and all medical team members do in caring for our patients, but to be recognized at this level by the nation's leading external organization further validates our efforts."

For more information or to view a copy of the full report, visit www.ncqa.org.

Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit health plan and the largest private health care provider in Colorado. It's been named the 2004 health care company of the year by Colorado Biz magazine. Kaiser Permanente cares for more than 416,000 members in the Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs areas as more people have access to Kaiser Permanente care through our improved suite of health care products. Kaiser Permanente physicians and care teams focus on prevention as well as curing disease, all in an effort to help patients live well and thrive.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and offers recognition programs for physicians and physician groups. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.