Bernard J. Tyson Promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Kaiser Permanente

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Dec 10, 2010, 06:13 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO George Halvorson announced today that Bernard J. Tyson, executive vice president, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of the organization.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101210/SF16023-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101210/SF16023-b)

Halvorson continues as both chairman and CEO. Tyson will continue to report to Halvorson.

"Bernard has functioned as the chief operating officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan's regions for the past four years," Halvorson said. "He has been a solid and successful leader. As the head of our hospital systems, he was a key factor in Kaiser Foundation Hospitals winning 16 of the 53 hospital excellence awards given out last week by The Leapfrog Group."

"Kaiser Permanente has achieved significant goals in the areas Bernard manages for the past several years," Halvorson added. "Bernard has done an excellent job in leading performance in key areas."

Before overseeing the regional operations and hospitals, Tyson led the effort to enhance the Kaiser Permanente brand, and was instrumental in the creation of the Thrive campaign. Tyson has more than two decades of operations and hospital experience — including running several Kaiser Permanente hospitals.

Kaiser Permanente is a $42 billion company with 8.6 million members, 164,000 employees and 489 facilities.

"I am honored to take on this role and continue partnering with the wonderful people of Kaiser Permanente to advance our leadership in quality and prevention," said Tyson.

Under Tyson's leadership, Kaiser Permanente opened four new hospitals and achieved significant upgrades for seven more hospitals. During his tenure as head of the hospital system, Kaiser Permanente successfully rolled out the world's largest privately funded electronic health record, and 34 Kaiser Permanente hospitals have now reached HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 status. The Stage 7 Awards honor American hospitals that have achieved the highest level of paperless care delivery.

"Bernard's successes with our hospital systems and quality awards make him the perfect person to assume the president role at this extremely important time in our history," Halvorson said. "Health care reform will only succeed if care does, in fact, improve. Bernard is entirely committed to that improvement agenda."

"We have a 65-year commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable health care to our members and a proven track record of improving the health of our members and communities we serve," said Tyson. "I am constantly inspired by the dedication everyone here shows in helping others to thrive."

About Bernard Tyson

Bernard Tyson, newly named president and chief operating officer of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, earned his bachelor's degree and Master's of Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Tyson serves as vice chair for the Executive Leadership Council — a leadership network and advocacy organization whose membership is made up of African-American senior executives from the nation's Fortune 500 corporations. Tyson has been recognized for his work both within and outside of health care. In 2010 he was named one of the 25 most influential African Americans in health care by Black Health magazine and one of the top 25 minority executives in the nation by Modern Healthcare. In 2007 Golden Gate University recognized him as "Alumni of the Year." In 2001 he received the NAACP's Freedom Fund Award. Tyson serves on the board of Occidental College in California and the American Heart Association. He is actively engaged in many philanthropic and community-based events and supports numerous charitable activities.

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 8.6 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.

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente