News release: National

September 22, 2003

For more information, call:
Beverly Hayon
Kaiser Permanente
Phone: (510) 271-6437
E-mail: Beverly.Hayon@kp.org

Kaiser Permanente wins top ratings in 2003 national quality watchdog report

Top scores in childhood immunizations, women’s health, and heart disease: The latest in a long list of accolades from other surveys

Oakland, CA – Six Kaiser Permanente regions were awarded top national and regional ratings in the 2003 State of Health Care Quality Report announced by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). In NCQA’s first-time regional ratings, Kaiser Permanente dominated the Pacific Region’s Top Five, including Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California, Southern California, Northwest, and Hawaii regions. Kaiser Permanente of Georgia, was among the Top Five in the Southern Atlantic region, and Kaiser Permanente Colorado rated among the Top Five regional health plans as well as one of the Top Ten health plans in the nation.

“The NCQA report shows two disparate sides of health care today,” stated Jay Crosson, MD, executive director of the Permanente Federation. “While some Americans receive inadequate care, the top-rated health plans are evidence that health care in an organized setting like Kaiser Permanente offers the public the best chance to receive care that will keep them healthy and improve the quality of their lives.”

“NCQA is considered the gold standard for rating quality health care which makes Kaiser Permanente’s stellar performance all the more significant,“ Dr. Crosson continued. “There are several important reasons for our distinguished performance: Kaiser Permanente’s integrated health care system, providing patients with a team of clinicians to manage their care, track their progress, and prompt for preventive screenings. Our physicians are able to share best practices, and our chronic disease management programs for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma are nationally recognized models. Finally, we have dramatically increased the number of members who are linked to their own primary care physician, providing members with a personal link to the vast array of resources available to them.”

An independent, non-profit organization that measures the quality of the nation’s health care, NCQA accredits health plans, and serves as a resource for purchasers, regulators and consumers. The report is based on an analysis of health plan performance measures from NCQA’s Quality Compass 2003, a database of performance information from several hundred organizations providing health care coverage to more than 71 million Americans. Out of approximately 500 health plans in the country, about 260 let the public know their quality. All data are independently audited.

“By sharing our data publicly, we believe that we are helping to lead a revolution in transparency,” said George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Inc. “The public, and the employers who pay the bulk of health care coverage, deserve to know how their health plans measure up in terms of accountability and quality improvement. Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to measuring, reporting, and improving outcomes can only result in healthier lives for our members. Our investment in quality and transparency saves lives and costs less for everyone.”

NCQA ratings are based on a cross-section of standardized measures, among them:

advising smokers to quit
beta-blocker treatment after a heart attack
breast cancer screening
cervical cancer screening
cholesterol management control
comprehensive diabetes care
controlling high blood pressure
timeliness of prenatal care

Among the categories measured by NCQA, Kaiser Permanente of Colorado recorded the nation's top scores for checking cholesterol of patients following a heart attack (94 percent) and helping those patients to control their cholesterol (92 percent). Also, 83 percent of children under the age of 2 received all their required immunizations.

Kaiser Permanente of Georgia received the nation’s top score in childhood immunizations with 96.1 percent of pediatric members under the age of two receiving their required chicken pox immunizations. In addition, it was second nationally in its chlamydia screening rates for women in the 16-20, 21-26 age groups. 93 percent of Georgia members received regular cholesterol checks after a heart attack and 81 percent had their cholesterol levels under control.

Kaiser Permanente of Hawaii showed that 87 percent of children under two received all of their required immunizations. Hawaii’s comprehensive diabetic care also received high marks: 74 percent of diabetics have had a retinal screening, 91 percent have had a HbA1c test, 93 percent a lipid profile and 83 percent monitored for nephropathy.

In Kaiser Permanente Northwest, among members who had been discharged from a hospital after a heart attack, 99 percent were prescribed beta-blockers to prevent future heart attacks. Also, management of members with diabetes is excellent. Over 93 percent of people with diabetes have a glucose level result in the medical record compared to national average of 83 percent, and they are in better control of their glucose levels. In addition, 73 percent of adults with diabetes had received a retinal screening compared to the 52 percent national average reported by NCQA.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California consistently scored highest among the state's seven major health plans. The study found that 97.25 percent of Kaiser patients receive beta-blockers after heart attacks, a medication shown to lower the risk of future episodes.

Kaiser Permanente has consistently collected top marks from a variety of consumer surveys and consumer organizations, among them the 2002 California Health Plan Report Card produced by the California Cooperative Healthcare Reporting Initiative (CCHRI) and from the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health care organization. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, group practice prepayment program with headquarters in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 8.3 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Today, it encompasses Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.; Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and the Permanente Medical Groups, as well as an affiliation with Group Health Cooperative based in Seattle.

Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes approximately 134,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and about 11,000 physicians representing all specialties.