Press Releases: Southern California
February 9, 2010
Kaiser Permanente Southern California Leads the Way in California Health Plan Report Card
PASADENA, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente Southern California received the most stars — eight of a possible eight — in the overall ratings of the just released HMO Quality Report from the California Office of the Patient Advocate. That’s the first time in the nine-year history of the report that any health plan has received all eight possible stars in the HMO Ratings At-a-Glance section of the report. Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California region received four stars for meeting national standards of care and four stars for the member ranking of care and services.
This is the second straight year that Kaiser Permanente Southern California has received four stars for the excellence of its clinical care — leading the way in cancer screening, chlamydia screening, diabetes care, heart disease care and mental health care. Kaiser Permanente Southern California also received a four-star rating in a survey of its members’ satisfaction. That same survey also showed significant gains in customer service, patient rating of the care received and health promotion (providing advice on preventing illness.)
“The real stars of this state report card are the dedicated members of our health care team, from the receptionist at the front desk, to the nurse, to the laboratory technician and on to the physician in the exam room,” said Benjamin Chu, MD, president of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “Everyone at Kaiser Permanente comes to work each day with one simple goal — to improve the health and satisfaction of our members. We put the patients first every day,” added Dr. Chu. He also indicated that Kaiser Permanente’s state-of-the-art electronic medical record system, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, plays a vital role in helping to achieve both patient satisfaction and clinical excellence by moving health care into the 21st century.
“Prevention of illness is the hallmark of Kaiser Permanente,” said Jeffrey Weisz, MD, executive medical director of the Southern California Medical Group—the doctors who treat Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California. “We want to keep our patients healthy by encouraging them to quit smoking, to exercise and to eat well. Our aggressive screening program also helps discover cancer and other diseases at early stages when they are more easily treated. We know this saves lives,” added Dr. Weisz.
Doctors from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group earned the most stars in eight of the nine geographic areas covered by the report and were only one star short of the top mark in the other geographic area.
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 3.3 million members in Southern California. 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.
