Kaiser Permanente's ALL/PHASE Initiative Wins 2010 Care Continuum Alliance Quality Impact Award for Greatest Impact on Health

Program focuses on sharing low-cost protocols proven to reduce heart attacks

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Oct 13, 2010, 03:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Care Continuum Alliance honored Kaiser Permanente's ALL/PHASE initiative with the Quality Impact Award for the "Greatest Impact on Health" at The Forum 10 conference today in Washington, D.C. The ALL/PHASE protocol, which utilizes low-cost and generic medications and clinical interventions to reduce heart attacks, has been successfully implemented in Kaiser Permanente communities, including those served by safety net organizations.

"Kaiser Permanente's ALL/PHASE protocol is an outstanding example of the emphasis on quality embodied by this award," said Tracey Moorhead, president and CEO, Care Continuum Alliance. "We're pleased to honor this important initiative to improve population health."

Kaiser Permanente's ALL initiative (Aspirin, Lisinopril and Lipid-lowering medication) was implemented to reduce heart attacks and strokes by aggressively enrolling patients with heart disease or patients who are at least 55 years old with diabetes, in a therapeutic program that included the use of these three medications. The organization's PHASE program (Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday) enhances ALL by adding a beta blocker and emphasizing healthy lifestyle changes. Research has shown that bundling two low-cost, generic heart drugs – a cholesterol-lowering statin and a blood pressure-lowering drug – prevents heart attack and stroke.

Realizing the benefits for its members and community partners, Kaiser Permanente awarded Community Benefit grants to share this initiative with safety net clinics. Those grants led to the implementation of ALL in five community clinics in Southern California, and the use of PHASE in seven community clinics and four public hospital and health systems in Northern California.

"The ALL/PHASE initiative continues to be a proven keystone in Kaiser Permanente's cardiovascular risk reduction program, which can be applied in many settings to reduce heart attacks and strokes and decrease the cost of care for those events," said Winston Wong, MD, medical director, Community Benefit, Disparities Improvement and Quality Initiatives. "At Kaiser Permanente we recognize that preventive and community health is critical to individual health and wellness, and extending care beyond our walls is central to our mission. The ALL/PHASE program is just one example of how we share our knowledge with our safety net partners to help them improve the health of the broader community."

Since launching the program with community clinics, public hospitals and health systems in California in 2005, there are now 46 locations using this program in ambulatory clinics and community health center settings across the country. Kaiser Permanente provides guidance to health care workers throughout the implementation of ALL/PHASE and opportunities to study Kaiser Permanente practices on-site.

Since 1999, the CCA Leadership Awards have honored organizations and individuals in population health management. The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 organizations and individuals providing services along the continuum of care toward the goal of population health improvement. It promotes the role of population health improvement in raising the quality of care, improving health outcomes, and reducing preventable health care costs for individuals with and at risk of chronic conditions.

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