Kaiser Permanente Colorado Earns Top Medicare 5-Star Rating for Quality and Service

DENVER, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente Colorado announced that its Medicare plan received 5 stars, the highest rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2012.  Kaiser Permanente is the only health plan in Colorado to receive the overall 5- star rating for Parts C and D.

Through the Medicare Star Quality Rating System, CMS assigns scores of one to five stars to Medicare plans based on 50 quality measures across five categories that include staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service, and pharmacy services.

"Navigating the Medicare process can be challenging, but the Medicare Star Quality Ratings offer consumers an easy, unbiased resource to identify the highest quality health plans in their region," said Bill Wright, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Executive Medical Director. "These ratings also encourage health plans to improve care, leading to better patient experiences across the board. We encourage all Medicare beneficiaries to use the rating system as a guide to help them select a high-quality plan."

In addition to the high scores, Kaiser Permanente released survey findings revealing that consumers have a low awareness of the Medicare Star Quality Rating System. According to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive, only 18 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors said that they are familiar with the government's rating system, and of those that are familiar, less than one-third have used the system to select their health plan. The survey also showed that only 2 percent of respondents know how their current health plan is rated.

Enrollees can learn more about the Medicare Star Quality Ratings and Kaiser Permanente's Medicare plans by visiting www.kp.org/medicarestars or www.Medicare.Gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Plan performance summary star ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next.

About the Study

This study of Medicare-eligible seniors was conducted by phone Sept. 21-25, 2011 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kaiser Permanente. A population of 483 Medicare-eligible seniors was surveyed and has a sampling error of +/- 4 percent.

Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the state's largest nonprofit health plan, proudly working to improve the lives and health of Colorado residents for more than 40 years. Kaiser Permanente Colorado provides comprehensive health care services to more than 533,000 members through 23 medical offices and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The health plan was named "Highest in Member Satisfaction" among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates for the fourth straight year. Kaiser Permanente was also recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the top-ranked private health plan in Colorado, No. 6 in the nation and one of the top 3 Medicare plans in the U.S. for the third year in a row. In 2010, Kaiser Permanente proudly directed more than $90 million to community benefit programs to improve the health of all Coloradans. For more Kaiser Permanente news, visit kp.org/newscenter or follow us on twitter @kpcolorado or facebook.com/kpcolorado.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente Colorado