Covered California Concurs: Kaiser Permanente's Health Plans are Highest Rated

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Jan 31, 2014, 05:59 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente achieved a best health plans "triple crown" when its California health plans were awarded 4 stars for quality — the highest possible rating — according to Covered California's Quality Rating System.

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Kaiser Permanente's Medicare health plans earned 5 stars — the highest overall rating for quality and service — from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, last October. Earlier this week, the California Office of the Patient Advocate announced that Kaiser Permanente's health plans in Northern California and Southern California were given 4-star ratings, again the highest possible rating, and that they were the only health plans in the state so ranked for overall quality of care and member satisfaction.

And now Covered California, the state's marketplace for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has concluded in this week's report that Kaiser Permanente is at the top of the class for quality and care based on reported experiences of members. The Covered California ratings are an amalgamation of nearly 50 nationally accepted measurements in four domains, including service, access to care, preventive care and clinical care. The scores include responses on such topics as a member's ability to get appointments, have their questions answered during those appointments, and receive the follow-up care they need to manage their conditions.

"These Covered California ratings further reinforce the outstanding care, service and value that our health plans provide to our members and patients," said Jed Weissberg, MD, senior vice president, Hospitals, Quality and Care Delivery Excellence, Kaiser Permanente. "The scores reflect our consistently excellent performance and our dedicated physicians, nurses and care teams. Helping our members stay healthy — and treating them with compassion, knowledge and skill when they become ill — is what we strive to do every day."

Consumers can view Covered California's QRS ratings on its website. The ratings are broken down into 19 regional areas.

According to Covered California, a 4-star plan placed in the top 25 percent of all rated plans. Three stars are given for those that landed in the 50-percent to 75-percent range, while a 2-star plan means it scored in the 25-percent to 50-percent range for all plans. One star is given for those plans scoring in the bottom 25 percent.

The scores were derived from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, known as CAHPS, a rating system used in other public reports such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance's "Health Insurance Plan 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 9.1 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.

Mark Camps
510-625-5624, [email protected]

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente