Kaiser Permanente Receives the Most Stars for a Sixth Time in California Health Plan Report Card

By Sylvia Walace, Kaiser Permanente Media Relations

For the sixth year in a row, Kaiser Permanente received the most stars in the HMO Quality Report from the California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA). Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region and Northern California Region were the only two health plans to earn six stars of a possible eight in the overall ratings of the just released 2006 OPA Healthcare Quality Report Card.

The two Kaiser Permanente regions also led the way in clinical quality. The Northern California Region scored 26 of a possible 32 stars, followed closely by Southern California with 24 stars -- the only two health plans to earn 20 stars or more in the eight clinical measures cited by the OPA.

For example, Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region was top rated for breast cancer screening -- providing mammograms to 84 percent of its female members between the ages of 52 and 69. "This is an example of what our dedicated physicians and other members of the health care team can do to improve health," said Jeffrey Weisz, M.D., executive medical director and chairman of the board of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. "We've focused our efforts on reaching out to women by phone, through the mail and in person to remind them that it is time to have a mammogram. We're confident that we're saving lives."

In other clinical quality areas, Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region was top rated in three of five measures for diabetic patients and in two mental health measures. Kaiser Permanente's diabetic patients were most likely to receive eye exams to watch for a disease that can cause blindness, to receive kidney function tests to watch for signs of kidney damage and to have their blood sugar monitored appropriately. The OPA measures also rated Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region highest for providing anti-depressants for patients who need them.

"It takes diligence, caring and concern to achieve these results," said Benjamin Chu, M.D., president of Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region. "Our task now is to continue our efforts to improve care and to help our patients to live healthy lives. We think reports such as this provide valuable information for health care consumers."

Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.2 million members in Southern California.

Serving San Diego since 1967, Kaiser Permanente currently provides care for nearly 500,000 members throughout the county. Over 6,500 staff and more than 800 physicians care for our members at 20 outpatient medical offices and at Kaiser Permanente’s San Diego Medical Center. The Medical Center has 392 licensed beds, a Level II Trauma Unit, and a 56 bed Emergency Department. For more information, visit the Kaiser Permanente website at kaiserpermanente.org, or in Spanish, www.kaiserpermanente/espanol.org.

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