Improving Health and Saving Lives: Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Leads the Nation in Seven Quality Measures

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States rates No. 1 in the nation for breast cancer screening, controlling high blood pressure and five other quality measures, according to the newly released 2016 National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Quality Compass^® data.

The annual Quality Compass data assesses the performance of more than 1,000 health plans nationwide spanning all lines of business on critical clinical quality and service standards.

According to the 2016 NCQA Quality Compass data for Private/Commercial plans, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States achieved the highest rate in the nation for:

• Adult BMI Assessment
• Breast Cancer Screening - Total
• Comprehensive Diabetes Care - Blood Pressure Control (<140/90)
• Comprehensive Diabetes Care - Eye Exams
• Controlling High Blood Pressure - Total
• Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) for Female Adolescents
• Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children/Adolescents – BMI percentile (3-11 years)

"Kaiser Permanente's excellent care is rooted in having an organized, physician-led medical group that consistently practices evidence-based medicine," said Bernadette Loftus, MD, associate executive director, The Permanente Medical Group. "Kaiser members are cared for almost exclusively by Permanente physicians, which ensures a consistent level of excellence across the board; most other health plans draw from an identical pool of community-based doctors who deliver varying quality and results. These 2016 NCQA ratings demonstrate how the Kaiser Permanente model delivers higher quality care."

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States has more national No. 1 ratings and regional No. 1 ratings than any other health plan available to residents in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. This is the fifth year in a row that Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is No. 1 in the U.S. for breast cancer screening.

"I am honored to help lead an organization that provides its members best-in-the-nation care and am particularly proud of our strong record in making sure our members receive the medical care they need to screen for cancer and minimize risks for heart disease and stroke caused by high blood pressure," said Kim Horn, president of Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States.
"We are proud of these ratings because they show that Kaiser Permanente is helping people live fuller, healthier lives."

The NCQA Quality Compass® data shows that Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States rates significantly higher than other organizations in many of the measures. For example, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States provided timely mammograms to nearly nine in 10 age-appropriate women whereas, on average, nearly three in 10 age-appropriate women across the U.S. failed to have a mammogram in the past two years. Likewise, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States minimizes the risk for heart attack and stroke by controlling the blood pressure within national guidelines for more than 90 percent of members while the rate nationwide for hypertension control is only 57 percent.

This is the latest national recognition Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States has received from NCQA.

Last month, NCQA's ratings revealed Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States to be the only Private plan available through employer-sponsored health coverage in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia – and one of only 13 Private health plans available nationwide – to earn a five out of five rating from the 2016–2017 NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has the highest rated Medicare plan in the Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

These ratings place Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States in the top three percent of commercial plans and top 10 percent of Medicare plans nationwide.

The annual Quality Compass database includes scores from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, or HEDIS, a tool that is used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service, including medication management, maternal care, and respiratory conditions.

The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass® 2016 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass 2016 includes certain CAHPS data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States 
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for more than 670,000 members through 29 medical centers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization comprising Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features more than 1,300 physicians. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is the only Private plan available through employer-sponsored health coverage in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia – and one of only 13 Private health plans available nationwide – to earn a five out of five rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016–2017. In addition, Kaiser Permanente has the No. 1 Medicare plan in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit kp.org or follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/KPMidAtlantic, or Facebook, www.facebook.com/kpthrive.

About the National Committee for Quality Assurance
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (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 recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's HEDIS® is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's Web site (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. The measurement tools used by NCQA are among the most comprehensive, comparable across plans and widely respected in the nation, and cover a wide range of clinical and service measures, including women's reproductive health, immunizations and cancer screenings, as well as clinical treatment measures for the management of chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States

Related Links

http://www.kp.org