Kaiser Permanente Recognized as Highest-rated Health Plan in the Nation

Kaiser Permanente's Mid-Atlantic region is the only health plan in the nation to receive a 5-star rating for both its Medicare and commercial plans

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Kaiser Permanente

Sep 28, 2021, 15:29 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) Health Plan Ratings 2021 report has named Kaiser Permanente in the Mid-Atlantic region among the highest rated commercial and Medicare health plans in the nation. Compared with more than 1,000 health systems included in the ratings, Kaiser Permanente's Mid-Atlantic region is the only one to achieve a rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NCQA for both the Medicare and Commercial lines of business, a recognition that sets the health system apart based on patient care, treatment, prevention and patient experience. Kaiser Permanente also received 5 stars for its Medicaid plan from NCQA.

NCQA rates more than 1,000 health plans nationally each year based on numerous measures that assess patient care outcomes and experience. NCQA's annual report rates plans based on a 0-to-5 star scale, with 5 stars being the best. In the Mid-Atlantic region, Kaiser Permanente's commercial and Medicare plans scored 5 stars in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. This is the eighth NCQA report in which Kaiser Permanente's regional health plan in the Mid-Atlantic received 5 stars. Consumers can compare health plans on the NCQA website at https://reportcards.ncqa.org/

"Our nation-leading rating reflects the quality and dedication of our world-class physicians who care for Kaiser Permanente's 789,000 members in the Mid-Atlantic region," said Richard McCarthy, MD, executive medical director for Kaiser Permanente. "I'm incredibly proud of our physicians and their steadfast commitment to provide every patient with exceptional care that results in superior health outcomes. That data shows that if every person in the nation received the superior care our Permanente physicians provide, hundreds of thousands of lives would be saved each year."

Only 17 out of more than 1,000 health plans nationwide (less than 2 percent) received a 5-star rating in the most recent report and six of those plans were Kaiser Permanente. This is the sixth year in a row that Kaiser Permanente has more 5-star plans than any health plan in the nation. This also marks the third consecutive year that Kaiser Permanente's commercial and Medicare plans are the highest rated (or tied for highest) in every geographic region it serves.

"This latest 5-star quality rating highlights the tremendous quality of Kaiser Permanente's integrated care delivery model," said Ruth Williams-Brinkley, president of Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. "This approach enables us to provide our members with evidence-based, coordinated care from the region's top physicians who collaborate across specialties with a focus on total health."

Through its uniquely integrated, coordinated approach to care, Kaiser Permanente consistently provides health benefits to its members. Kaiser Permanente's patients live longer, healthier lives thanks to an integrated delivery system, regular disease screenings, cutting-edge treatment plans and successful management of chronic conditions. For example, Kaiser Permanente makes it extremely convenient for patients to get mammograms. Not only can a Kaiser Permanente member receive a mammogram at nearly all the health system's 34 medical centers in the region, but mammogram results are often provided in less than an hour. If the mammogram findings are suspicious, follow-up diagnostic breast imaging and biopsy can often be completed the same day – reducing stress for the member. As a national leader in the percentage of members receiving breast cancer screening, Kaiser Permanente breast cancer patients have a lower mortality rate compared to national benchmarks. Similarly, an integrated system that allows specialists in cardiology to work closely with primary care physicians to help patients manage high blood pressure with the convenience of remote monitoring technology, results in fewer heart attacks and strokes among Kaiser Permanente members compared to national benchmarks.

"Outstanding patient outcomes are a result of relentless innovation, agility and attention to each patient interaction," said Joseph Territo, MD, associate medical director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. "Over the past year, while we rapidly responded to the pandemic and provide great care to our patients with COVID-19, we also continued to concentrate on disease prevention, chronic conditions management and effective treatment programs for all our patients."

With more than 1,700 physicians covering more than 50 specialties, the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, which provides care to Kaiser Permanente members, is the largest multi-specialty medical group in the region. Kaiser Permanente's 789,000 members in the Mid-Atlantic have many choices to access exceptional care, including via video, phone, secure messaging, or in-person at any of Kaiser Permanente's 34 medical offices in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. In addition to this latest national quality recognition for Kaiser Permanente, 2020 marked the 9^th year in a row that the health system's Mid-Atlantic region received 5 out of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for its 2021 Medicare health plan. The new Medicare ratings will be released in October.

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 12.5 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 Permanente Medical Group 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. https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/