Press Releases: Northern California
September 20, 2011
Kaiser Permanente Northern California Rated No. 1 in Newly Released National Quality Rankings of Medicare Plans
Kaiser Permanente regions around the country hold many of the top spots in the 2011 health-plan rankings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Medicare plan is the best in the country in 2011, according to National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) rankings of health plans released today. The Northern California region’s No. 1 ranking is up from No. 8 in 2010.
In all, seven of Kaiser Permanente’s eight regions around the country are in the top 20 for Medicare plans in the U.S., according to the NCQA 2011 health-plan rankings. Kaiser Permanente regions hold the top four spots in the Medicare rankings. No other health plan in California is listed in the top 100.
The Northern California region’s commercial plan is ranked 14th this year, up from 21st a year ago, and six Kaiser Permanente regions are in the top 40 rankings nationally for commercial plans.
More than 300 health plans in the U.S. are evaluated by the NCQA, and more than 200 are listed in the annual rankings.
“The NCQA is a widely respected authority on health-care quality in the country, and Kaiser Permanente’s showing in the 2011 rankings is testament to our ongoing drive to consistently provide excellent health care and service and to improve the health and well-being of members and the communities we serve,” said Gregory Adams, regional president for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “Our year-over-year improvement in this annual report shows that we never rest in our quest to be a model for health care in California and beyond.”
“Being ranked No. 1 in the country on this NCQA survey is a tribute to the excellence of our physicians and staff,” said Robert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group. “The combination of our outstanding clinicians with our advanced information technology systems, and our 60-year commitment to prevention, allows us to provide exceptional quality and personalized care. We appreciate this recognition and believe that the rest of American medicine can learn from our success.”
The NCQA is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health-care quality. Since its founding in 1990, NCQA has been a central figure in driving improvement throughout the health care system, helping to elevate the issue of health care quality to the top of the national agenda.
The NCQA health-plan rankings released today will be published in the Consumer Reports Web edition on Oct. 4, and in the print edition of the magazine in November.
The review the complete 2011 NCQA health-plan rankings, go to www.ncqa.org/rankings
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 of community health. For more information, go to www.kp.org/newscenter.
