Kaiser Permanente Lauded for 'Living the Vision' of Health Care Excellence

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente's mission since it was founded 70 years ago has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and communities it serves. In a unique gesture that recognizes Kaiser Permanente's extraordinary commitment to quality of care, the Leapfrog Group is honoring the health care system and its 38 hospitals with its inaugural "Living the Vision" award for excellence.

It is the first time that the organization -- founded 15 years ago to work for improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability -- has bestowed such an honor.

"This award is a testament to Kaiser Permanente's deep commitment to delivering high quality care to our more than 10 million members," said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "It also reflects a culture of continuous improvement that empowers our dedicated physicians, nurses and care teams to help members achieve total health in body, mind and spirit."

Kaiser Permanente will receive the award at the Leapfrog Group's annual meeting on Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C. Leapfrog, an independent, national nonprofit organization run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, is also honoring two organizations for transparency (Consumer-Purchaser Alliance) and value (Maine State Employee Health Commission). According to Leapfrog, Kaiser Permanente is the only health system it has ever designated for a major award.

"Kaiser Permanente focuses on quality and the foundation of that focus is built on partnership between the physicians, nurses, care teams and the hospital systems," said Scott Young, MD, associate executive director, The Permanente Federation, the national organization for the nearly 18,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente's members. "This remarkable achievement underscores our commitment to do what's best for the member, keeping them safe and healthy."

Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, will be on hand when Kaiser Permanente is given the "Living the Vision" award at Leapfrog's 15^th anniversary gala in Washington, D.C.

"Kaiser Permanente consistently demonstrates outstanding performance throughout its network of hospitals, and never seems complacent, always on the quest for better and better care," Binder said. "Virtually all Kaiser Permanente hospitals achieve 'A' grades on the Hospital Safety Score, and a staggering number have been recognized over the years as Leapfrog Top Hospitals. Moreover, Kaiser Permanente advocates for more and better measurement, continually working with Leapfrog and others to recommend and scrutinize measures. Kaiser Permanente demonstrates that not only individual hospitals can achieve giant leaps forward in quality, but so can hospital systems."

The Leapfrog honor is the latest recognition of many years of outstanding clinical, safety and member satisfaction scores, including:  

• NCQA Quality Compass database for commercial measures. According to the 2015 National Committee for Quality Assurance report, Kaiser Permanente is the highest rated health plan in 21 of the 48 effectiveness-of-care measures. More than 500 U.S. plans are considered. This is the seventh successive year Kaiser Permanente has had more No.1s than any other health plan.
• Medicare Star Quality Ratings. In 2015, six of Kaiser Permanente's seven Medicare health plans received an overall rating of 5 stars, the highest rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Kaiser Permanente's Medicare plans in California have been rated 5 stars for five consecutive years.
• U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals for Specialty Care." In 2015, 20 Kaiser Permanente hospitals were listed as "high performing" in state or metro area rankings of the magazine's annual report.
• J.D. Power Member Satisfaction Study. Kaiser Permanente members in five geographic areas rated their health plan highest in satisfaction. Kaiser Permanente members in California have rated their health plan highest in satisfaction for eight years in a row.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 10 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 and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

CONTACT: Marc Brown
[email protected]
510-271-6328

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

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