Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Rated One of America's Top Health Plans

'NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-2012' Names Kaiser Permanente as the Top Medicare Plan in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States has been named the highest-rated Medicare health plan in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., according to the latest rankings by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  Kaiser Permanente was recognized as the highest-rated Commercial health plan in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

In 'NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-2012,' Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States ranked among the top 20 Medicare health plans, ranking 17th out of 341 plans nationwide.  In the national Commercial category, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States ranked 33rd out of 390 plans, improving its 2010 ranking by 40 places.

Now in its sixth year, the 'NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Ranking' are based on quality data collected, analyzed and converted to scores by the NCQA.  The three reporting categories are consumer satisfaction, prevention and treatment. The 'NCQA's Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-2012' lists appear online at www.NQCA.org.

"These excellent results are a reflection of Kaiser Permanente's continual effort to improve how we deliver care to our patients throughout the Mid-Atlantic States," stated Marilyn Kawamura, President, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States.  "Our ranking is an acknowledgement of the commitment to quality and service our physicians, nurses, health care professionals, support staff, and administrative staff demonstrate at every point of contact with our members."

Kaiser Permanente's unique integrated care delivery system and unparalleled level of connectivity enables physicians and clinical teams to work collaboratively to focus on prevention and quality of care at all times, in all places.  Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, our advanced electronic medical record system, allows coordination of patient care between the physician's office, hospital, radiology, laboratory, and pharmacy, and gives health care teams the tools they need to provide high-quality care through access to comprehensive patient information and the latest best practice research all in one place.  Kaiser Permanente's My Health Manager, which links directly to Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, empowers members to manage their health by providing 24/7 online access to their personal health record, online appointment scheduling, prescription refills and secure e-mail messaging with doctors.

"The combination of our outstanding clinicians with our advanced information technology systems, and our 60-year commitment to prevention, allows us to be the quality and service leader," said Bernadette Loftus, M.D., Associate Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group.  "Our top ranking on this NCQA survey is a tribute to the excellence of our physicians, staff and systems."

Kaiser Permanente continues to bring its high quality care to members throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, with several new multi-specialty facilities opening over the next three years.  This robust expansion will provide members with new locations to receive superior care and more medical services conveniently co-located within Kaiser Permanente medical centers.  

For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit www.kp.org/midatlantic.

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 almost 500,000 members through 30 medical centers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  Founded in 1980, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is a total health organization comprised of 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 approximately 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area.  Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States is considered one of Maryland's "Top HMOs," according to the Maryland Health Care Commission.  The health plan was ranked in the nation's 50 top commercial health plans and 20 top Medicare health plans – and the #1 Medicare plan for Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. – by "NCQA Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2011-2012 Private."  For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, visit www.kp.org or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/KPMidAtlantic.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States