Press Releases: Georgia
October 13, 2011
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plan Receives Top Marks for Quality and Service from Federal Agency
ATLANTA — Kaiser Permanente of Georgia’s Medicare plan received 4.5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2012.
Through the Medicare Star Quality Rating System, CMS assigns scores of one to five stars to Medicare plans based on 50 quality measures across five categories that include staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service, and pharmacy services.
“Navigating the Medicare process can be challenging, but the Medicare Star Quality Ratings offer consumers an easy, unbiased resource to identify the highest quality health plans in their region,” said Mary Hsieh, director of Medicare for Kaiser Permanente Georgia. “These ratings also encourage health plans to improve care, leading to better patient experiences across the board. We encourage all Medicare beneficiaries to use the rating system as a guide to help them select a high-quality plan.”
In addition to the high scores, Kaiser Permanente released survey findings, revealing that consumers have a low awareness of the Medicare Star Quality Rating System. According to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive, only 18 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors said that they are familiar with the government’s rating system, and of those that are familiar, less than one-third have used the system to select their health plan. The survey also showed that only 2 percent of respondents know how their current health plan is rated.
Enrollees can learn more about the Medicare Star Quality Ratings and Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare plans by visiting www.kp.org/medicarestars or www.Medicare.Gov, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Plan performance summary star ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next.
About the Study
This study of Medicare-eligible seniors was conducted by phone Sept. 21–25, 2011 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kaiser Permanente. A population of 483 Medicare-eligible seniors was surveyed and has a sampling error of +/- 4 percent.
Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us — and our clients — stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
About Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Kaiser Permanente is Georgia’s largest not-for-profit health plan. Its mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves.
Kaiser Permanente serves more than 240,000 members in a 28-county service area in metro Atlanta with care focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of heath care providers. Expert and caring medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Nationally, Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers, serving more than 8.8 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.kp.org.
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 8.8 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. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter
