Health Plan Members Rate Kaiser Permanente Highest in Five Regions in J.D. Power 2015 Member Health Plan Study

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Mar 17, 2015, 04:05 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente health plans in five geographic regions were again rated highest in satisfaction by their members in the J.D. Power 2015 Member Health Plan Study, the organization announced this week.

Members' satisfaction continues to be high among Kaiser Permanente's five regions evaluated in the study:

For the eighth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente was ranked highest by members in California and Colorado.
For the seventh consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente has ranked highest in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
For the sixth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente has ranked highest in the South Atlantic Region, which includes Kaiser Permanente of Georgia.
Kaiser Permanente has ranked highest in the Northwest Region in three of the past four years.

"Our members recognize and appreciate the value Kaiser Permanente provides," said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. "We appreciate this recognition, and will continue to dedicate ourselves every day to helping our members achieve their aspirations of total health."

"We are extremely proud that year after year our members rate us highest in satisfaction, relative to all other health plans in each of the markets we serve," said Arthur M. Southam, MD, executive vice president, Health Plan Operations, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. "We believe that our outstanding performance is made possible through the dedication of our team to deliver the highest level of quality care and service possible, supported by our investments in technology, performance improvement and innovation."

The J.D. Power 2015 Member Health Plan Study measures member satisfaction among 134 health plans in 18 regions throughout the United States by examining the experience of a health plan member in key areas such as: coverage and benefits, cost, provider choice, customer service, information and communication, and claims processing.

"It's no surprise we achieve market-leading performance in five regions because at Kaiser Permanente we want our members and patients to receive the kind of care and service that we would expect for ourselves and our families," said Pat Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. "Working in concert with our partners in the Permanente Medical Groups, we are committed to providing the highest quality care and service, in and out of the treatment setting."

The study reflects results of a survey conducted in November and December 2014 and completed by more than 31,000 members of commercial health plans. Each health plan included in the J.D. Power 2015 Member Health Plan Study was measured on a scale of 1,000 points for overall member satisfaction. Details of the results in each of the regions where Kaiser Permanente ranked highest are outlined below:

California Region: Kaiser Permanente earned an overall member satisfaction score of 778 points, 83 points above the average score for the region, and 97 points more than the next highest ranked health plan.
South Atlantic Region: Kaiser Permanente earned 718 points, 42 points above the regional average and 15 more points than the next highest ranked plan.
Colorado Region: Kaiser Permanente earned 733 points, 57 points above the regional average and 68 points more than the next highest ranked health plan.
Mid-Atlantic Region: Kaiser Permanente earned 762 points, 91 above the regional average and 79 more than the next highest ranked health plan.
Northwest Region: Kaiser Permanente earned 736 points, 43 points higher than the regional average and 26 points higher than the next highest ranked plan.

This membership study by J.D. Power is the most recent in a string of accolades given to Kaiser Permanente hospitals and health plans. In the past year:

Kaiser Permanente commercial health plans received No. 1 rankings for 2014 in 21 effectiveness-of-care measures, far more than any other health plan in the nation, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass® dataset.
Kaiser Permanente was rated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as having the highest ranked commercial health plans in all the markets it serves for 2014-15.
Last fall, Kaiser Permanente's mail-order pharmacy was ranked highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power for the sixth year in a row.

To hear Kaiser Permanente members talk about their care experience in their own words, please visit our Care Stories video blog.

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, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 9.6 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.

Contact:
Mark Camps
[email protected]
510-267-7653

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente