Kaiser Permanente Leads the Nation in 12 Quality Measures

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente leads the nation among all reporting commercial health plans with top marks in 12 quality measures. These conclusions were based on information in the 2010 National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass® data.

Kaiser Permanente received top marks for:

• Breast cancer screening
• Weight assessment for children-BMI
• Appropriate treatment for children with upper respiratory infection
• Diabetes – medical attention for nephropathy
• Diabetes – blood pressure control, 130/80
• Diabetes – LDL control less than 100 mg/dl
• Antidepressant medication management (continuation phase)
• Antidepressant medication management (acute phase)
• Appropriate use of medications for people with asthma (ages 12-50)
• Chlamydia screening
• Counseling for nutrition for children
• Counseling for physical activity for children

The NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.

"Kaiser Permanente is committed to providing the highest quality care to our members and patients, including medication and specialty care, chronic disease management, immunizations and timely screenings," said Jed Weissberg, MD, senior vice president, Quality and Care Delivery Excellence, Kaiser Permanente. "The Quality Compass data validates our great accomplishments in this area, and helps to provide consumers with the important information they need to make informed choices about their health care."

NCQA data provides evidence-based measures that reflect the quality of health plans and are the most widely used set of measures reflecting ambulatory clinical quality in the United States. Kaiser Permanente uses NCQA data to set numeric targets to improve performance and monitor standards of care. Kaiser Permanente's nation-leading scores in 12 measures from NCQA's Quality Compass® are a result of expert care and medical teams 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 innovation, clinical research, health education and the support of community health.

NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS®, the performance tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation's health plans. Consumers can easily access organization's NCQA Accreditation, Certification statuses and Recognition statuses and other information on health care quality on NCQA's website at www.ncqa.org/reportcards.aspx, or by calling NCQA Customer Support at (888) 275-7585.

*The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass® 2010 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  Quality Compass 2010 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).

HEDIS is a registered trademark of NCQA.

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, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine 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: www.kp.org/newscenter.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente