Repeat Performance: Kaiser Permanente Again Leads Nation in Breast, Colorectal Cancer Screenings

Organization tops nation with most No. 1 rankings, according to National Committee for Quality Assurance Quality Compass Dataset

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Kaiser Permanente

Dec 22, 2016, 02:08 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the seventh year in a row, a Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan is No. 1 in the nation for breast cancer screening, according to the 2016 National Committee for Quality Assurance Quality Compass dataset, the nation's most widely used indicator of outstanding clinical performance and patient experience. Kaiser Permanente is also ranked No.1 in five other effectiveness-of-care measures, including colorectal cancer screening, for the fourth year in a row.

"Kaiser Permanente members for many years have benefited from our proactive approach to keeping them healthy in mind, body, and spirit," said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. "We are proud of the results from NCQA, but more importantly, we are motivated to ensure that our members get the proper screenings, vaccines and medications we know can make a difference in their health."

NCQA's annual Quality Compass dataset for Medicare assesses the performance of national health plans on effectiveness-of-care measures, the most important clinical and service standards, including medication management and respiratory conditions.

There are 29 effectiveness-of-care measures tracked in the NCQA Quality Compass for Medicare dataset for 2016. Out of the nearly 350 Medicare health plans in the nation rated by NCQA, Kaiser Permanente had the most No.1 rankings for the sixth consecutive year; no other health plan received more than three No.1 rankings.

In addition, Kaiser Permanente is ranked in the top 10 of 23 of the measures.

According to the 2016 NCQA Quality Compass data, Kaiser Permanente received top marks for:

Breast cancer screening (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Colorectal cancer screening (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Controlling High Blood Pressure (Hawaii Region)
Adult BMI assessment (tie: Georgia Region, Mid-Atlantic States Region, Northern California Region, and 16 other health plans)
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (Hawaii Region)
Follow-up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness 30 Days (Georgia Region)

"Our focus on prevention and early intervention saves lives," said Michael Kanter, MD, executive vice president and chief Quality officer of The Permanente Federation, the national organization for the nearly 19,000 physicians who exclusively provide care to Kaiser Permanente's members. "Our highly skilled physicians, nurses, clinicians, front-line staff and care teams are dedicated to doing what's best for the patient."

This recognition by NCQA is the latest in a string of national honors Kaiser Permanente's health plans and hospitals have received in the past several months:

Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Grade: In October, 22 Kaiser Permanente hospitals received "A" grades in Leapfrog's semiannual ratings, eight more than during the previous grading period.
Medicare Star Quality Ratings: For 2017, five 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 six consecutive years.
U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals": In 2016, 28 Kaiser Permanente hospitals were listed as "high performing" for one or more measures of common or complex care in the magazine's annual report.
NCQA Quality Compass dataset for commercial measures: According to the 2016 National Committee for Quality Assurance report, Kaiser Permanente is the highest ranked health plan in 21 of the 48 effectiveness-of-care commercial measures. More than 500 U.S. plans are considered. This is the eighth successive year Kaiser Permanente has had more No.1 rankings than any other health plan.
J.D. Power Member Satisfaction Study: In the 2016 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 nine years in a row.

About NCQA
NCQA is a private, non-profit 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 is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

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 more than 10.6 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

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente