The Permanente Medical Group Selects New Board Chair

Chris Palkowski, MD, assumes role of board chair of the nation's largest medical group

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Mar 03, 2014, 03:57 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chris Palkowski, MD, has been elected chair of the board of directors of The Permanente Medical Group, the governing board of the largest medical group in the nation with 8,000 physicians serving 3.4 million members in Northern California. His term took effect on March 1.

Dr. Palkowski is the seventh individual to hold the position of board chair since the medical group's formation in 1948. TPMG currently provides clinical care in 21 Kaiser Permanente medical centers and more than 55 medical office facilities across Northern California.

"I am honored and very excited to serve as the chair of the board of the largest and finest medical group in the country," said Dr. Palkowski. "During these challenging and promising times in health care, I am committed to helping Kaiser Permanente lead the way in inventing the future of health care for the rest of the country."

Dr. Palkowski, an internal medicine specialist, joined TPMG in 1994. In 2006, he was appointed to the position of physician-in-chief of our Roseville Medical Center, where he is responsible for all of the inpatient and outpatient services provided to nearly 270,000 Kaiser Permanente members in that area. In total, there are nearly 700,000 Kaiser Permanente members who receive their care in the greater Sacramento Valley.

"It will be a privilege to work with Dr. Palkowski in his role as board chair of The Permanente Medical Group," said Robert Pearl, MD, CEO of TPMG. "Chris is a remarkable leader and will do an outstanding job helping to set Kaiser Permanente's future direction and ensuring we provide the best quality medical care in the nation. In this time of major health care change, Dr. Palkowski has the experience and vision to provide strong and stable leadership for our organization, and allow Kaiser Permanente to continue to serve as a model for our nation."

Dr. Palkowski received his medical degree and completed his three-year residency in internal medicine at UCLA. He had a private practice in Humboldt County for five years before coming to Kaiser Permanente in 1994.

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 9.1 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.

Contact:
Marc Brown, (510) 987-4672

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente