Kaiser Permanente Again Ranks Highest in J.D. Power Member Satisfaction Study(SM)

OAKLAND, Calif., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente members in five geographic regions, serving more than 9 million members, again rated the organization's health plans highest in satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Member Health Plan Study^SM, the company announced today.

The results:

• For the seventh consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente has been rated highest by members in California and Colorado.
• For the sixth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente has been rated highest in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
• For the fifth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente has been rated highest in the South Atlantic Region (includes Kaiser Permanente of Georgia).
• Kaiser Permanente has been rated highest in the Northwest Region in 2012 and 2014.

"We believe that this recognition is a tribute to our outstanding physicians, nurses, care teams and employees, who are dedicated to providing our members and patients with the highest quality care and service," said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente." We are focused on keeping our members and patients at the center of all that we do, and we will continue to get even better at providing the highest quality care and best service at an affordable price."

The J.D. Power  2014 U.S. Member Health Plan Study ^SM measures member satisfaction among 138 health plans in 18 regions throughout the United States by examining the experience of a health plan member in key areas such as: coverage and benefits, cost, provider choice, customer service, information and communication, and claims processing.

"We are enormously proud that year after year our members rate us highest in satisfaction relative to all other health plans within their region," said Arthur M. Southam, MD, executive vice president, Health Plan Operations, Kaiser Permanente. "This recognition reflects our commitment to providing high-quality, personalized service, and superior value for our customers, members, patients and communities. It is made possible by the dedication of our care-delivery teams, supported by investments in technology, performance improvement and innovation."

The study reflects the results of a survey that was conducted from December 2013 to January 2014 and completed by more than 34,000 members of commercial health plans. Each health plan included in the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Member Health Plan Study ^SM was measured on a scale of 1,000 points. Details of the results in each of the regions where Kaiser Permanente ranked highest are outlined below:

• California Region: Kaiser Permanente received 756 points, 76 points above the average score for the region and 82 points more than the next highest ranked health plan.
• South Atlantic Region: Kaiser Permanente received 784 points, 109 points above the regional average and 100 more points than the next highest ranked plan. (This region includes Kaiser Permanente of Georgia.)
• Colorado Region: Kaiser Permanente received 703 points, 39 points above the regional average and 32 more than the next highest ranked plan.
• Mid-Atlantic Region: Kaiser Permanente received 732 points, 56 above the regional average and 36 more than the next highest ranked health plan.
• Northwest Region: Kaiser Permanente received 732 points, 61 points higher than the regional average and 26 points higher than the next highest ranked plan.

J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Member Health Plan Study^SM  did not include Kaiser Permanente's Hawaii Region in its research.

This membership study by J.D. Power is the most recent in a string of accolades given to Kaiser Permanente hospitals and health plans. In the past year:

• Nineteen Kaiser Permanente hospitals were named 2013 "Top Hospitals" by The Leapfrog Group, an honor that recognizes medical centers for their outstanding success in areas such as reducing infection rates, safety practices, mortality rates for common procedures and measures of efficiency.
• Kaiser Permanente Medicare and Commercial health plans received No. 1 rankings for 2013 in 29 effectiveness-of-care measures (13 for commercial plans, 16 for Medicare plans), far more than any other health plan in the nation, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass® dataset.
• Kaiser Permanente's Medicare health plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest ranking possible, in all of its geographical regions.
• Kaiser Permanente was rated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as having the five highest-ranked Medicare health plans in the nation.

To hear Kaiser Permanente members talk about their care experience in their own words, please visit our Care Stories video blog.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 9.1 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, care delivery and chronic disease management. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

Contact: 
Mark Camps
[email protected]
510-625-5624

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente