Oregon's No. 1 Health Plan Announces Expansion to Eugene

PORTLAND, Ore., July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lane County residents will have a new health care option that combines top-quality care with award-winning health coverage. Kaiser Permanente Northwest announced today that it plans to open a medical office in Eugene by late 2015.

"For more than 65 years Kaiser Permanente has focused on keeping the people of the Northwest healthy," said Kaiser Permanente Northwest Regional President Andrew R. McCulloch. "We are excited to bring that same level of high-quality care and service to the people of Eugene and the communities of Lane County."

Expanding award-winning health care

Kaiser Permanente Northwest is recognized as No. 1 in Oregon and second in the nation for quality according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2013–2014.¹ J.D. Power and Associates ranked Kaiser Permanente highest in the Northwest for member satisfaction.²

Kaiser Permanente physicians will provide integrated care, including coordinating services through contracts with additional local providers and regional hospitals. Members will also have access to Kaiser Permanente physicians and facilities throughout the Northwest.

Initially, the medical office will have at least four primary care physicians. Medical office sites are currently being evaluated.

"Employers with staff in Eugene have asked us to come into the community and offer their employees high-quality, affordable health care supported by our industry-leading electronic health records," said Mark Charpentier, vice president for Marketing, Sales and Business Development. "We will join the highly regarded medical community in Lane County and partner with like-minded local providers who share our values in offering coordinated, patient-centered care."

Charpentier said health plans in the expanded service area will be offered initially to employers with more than 50 employees. Additional health insurance plans will follow, including for individual coverage, Medicare and small group. "We will want to serve Medicaid members in the Eugene‑Springfield area as well," he said. "We will be working with regional leaders to determine how best to participate."

Improving the health of communities

Part of Kaiser Permanente's mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve. Kaiser Permanente will invest in Lane County to support services and activities that connect low-income families to health care, healthy food and safe places for children to play.

"Most of what impacts our health takes place outside of a medical exam room," McCulloch noted. "We want to make sure we're supporting those local nonprofits that are playing an essential role in creating healthier communities."

¹NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's HEDIS® reporting system (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. HEDIS® is a registered trademark of NCQA.

²Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Inc., received the highest numerical score among commercial health plans in the Northwest region (OR, WA) in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2014 U.S. Member Health Plan Study^SM. Study based on 34,315 total member responses, measuring eight plans in the Northwest Region (excludes Medicare and Medicaid). Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of members surveyed December 2013-January 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

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 nonprofit 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 9.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia, including more than 495,000 medical and 227,000 dental members in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. 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.

For more information, contact:
[email protected]
p: 503.813.4942

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente