Kaiser Permanente Leads the Nation in 21 Commercial Health Plan Quality Measures

Kaiser Permanente highest rated for breast cancer screening, controlling high blood pressure, 19 others

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Oct 07, 2014, 02:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lonny, a hard-working mom from Maryland, didn't think she would get breast cancer as there was no history of the disease in her extended family. But after a regular mammogram at Kaiser Permanente in 2009, she was faced with the truth: She had cancer.

Despite challenging circumstances, Lonny says, "I was able to go through this experience with ease." Lonny credits her care team and Kaiser Permanente's connected system – from early detection to treatment to post-op care – for saving her life. "Each little piece that [my doctors] did – they all saved my life. It was like a system put in place to assist you when you needed it the most."

Today, five years later, Lonny remains cancer-free and grateful that she can be there for her son and the rest of her family and friends.

Kaiser Permanente's commitment to prevention and early treatment makes stories like Lonny's commonplace. So much so that Kaiser Permanente health plans were recently named the No.1-ranked commercial health plans in the nation for breast cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, controlling high blood pressure, comprehensive diabetes care – and 17 other effectiveness of care measures –according to the 2014 National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass® data.

The annual Quality Compass data assesses the performance of national health plans on many important clinical and service standards, including medication management and respiratory conditions. Of the 52 care measures rated in NCQA's Quality Compass data, Kaiser Permanente was No. 1 in 21 of them. Of the more than 500 health plans considered by NCQA, no other health plan had more than three No. 1 rankings.

This is the sixth year in a row that Kaiser Permanente has had the most No.1 rankings among U.S. Commercial health plans. In all, Kaiser Permanente received top marks for:

NCQA "Effectiveness of Care" Measure (Commercial plans)	Kaiser Permanente health plan ranking
Breast Cancer Screening	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Colorectal Cancer Screening	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Cholesterol Management for Patients w/ Cardio Conditions: LDL Screening	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Controlling High Blood Pressure	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: LDL Screening	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: LDL Control <100	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Comprehensive Diabetes Care: Blood Pressure Control (<140/80)	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Adult BMI Assessment	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Weight Assessment for Children – Body Mass Index Percentile	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Counseling for Nutrition for Children	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Counseling for Physical Activity for Children	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Childhood Immunization Status – Combo 3	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine for Female Adolescents	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Chlamydia Screening in Women (Ages 16-20, 21-24, and Total)	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Appropriate Treatment for Children with Upper Respiratory Illness (URI)	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Use of Spirometry Testing in Assessment & Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Pharmacotherapy Management of COPD Exacerbation – Bronchodilator	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Use of Imaging for Lower Back Pain	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Annual Monitoring for Patients on Persistent Medications – Anticonvulsants	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Annual Monitoring for Patients on Persistent Medications – Digoxin	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Georgia
Aspirin Use and Discussion – Aspirin Use	No 1: Kaiser Permanente Northwest

"Doing what's best for the member, keeping them safe and healthy, that's the mission of Kaiser Permanente's dedicated physicians, nurses and front-line staff," said Amy Compton-Phillips, MD, chief quality officer, The Permanente Federation. "These outstanding ratings also reflect Kaiser Permanente's continuous quality improvement efforts, where caregivers apply innovative, evidence-based strategies that enable proactive prevention of illness, early detection of disease, and better treatment of chronic conditions."

"Kaiser Permanente brings together a unique combination of capabilities driven by talented people to serve our members, our patients and the communities where they live," said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. "For years that fact has been reflected in consistent, nation-leading quality performance on a wide variety of the most important health care measures."

This recognition is the latest in a string of national accolades Kaiser Permanente has received from NCQA. Last month, NCQA ranked all seven Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans among the Top 10 in the nation, out of more than 400 considered.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

The source for data contained in this publication is Quality Compass® 2014 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass 2014 includes certain CAHPS data. Any data display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such display, analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

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 approximately 9.5 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, Kaiser Permanente, 510-625-5624

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente