Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s health plan is the only one in the U.S. to receive top ratings for both Medicare and commercial health plans.
For the second consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare and commercial health plans in Northern California, which serve over 4 million members, received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a national group that rates health plans for consumer experience, prevention, and treatment.
In a report called NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2017-18 that was published today, Kaiser Permanente’s health plans in Northern California were rated 5 out of 5, making it the only health plan in the country to receive the highest rating for both Medicare and private plans.
The national group analyzed over 1,000 health plans in the nation — private, Medicare, and Medicaid — for quality and service. Only 15 health plans in the country, or about 1 percent, were given a 5 out of 5. In all, Kaiser Permanente has 6 of those highest rated plans; more than any other organization. Other Kaiser Permanente health plans that also received the top rating include Southern California, Hawaii, Northwest, and Washington.
NCQA is a national, private not-for-profit organization that surveys health plans for performance in a wide range of clinical service measures. All Kaiser Permanente health plans were rated 4 or higher. In addition, all KP Medicare health plans were rated highest (or tied for the highest) in the areas they serve.
“Our nation-leading NCQA results underscore our commitment to provide the highest quality health care and convenient access our members expect and deserve,” said Janet Liang, president, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region. “The dedication of our outstanding physicians and care teams is reflected in industry-leading outcomes for our patients and members.”
Richard S. Isaacs, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, said that being the only organization in the nation to receive this recognition is remarkable and is a strong expression of the excellence of Kaiser Permanente’s dedicated and compassionate physicians and staff.
“As a health care organization that has served our communities for more than 70 years, our excellence is rooted in our clinical experience and evidence-based approach to medicine,” said Dr. Isaacs. “Our integrated model of prevention, early intervention, accessibility, and our use of centers of clinical excellence for the most complex diseases make a huge difference in the lives of our patients.”
The NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Ratings are based on combined scores for health plans in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set®, commonly called HEDIS; the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems®, or CAHPS; and NCQA Accreditation standards scores.
The ratings and methodology are posted on the NCQA’s website and soon will be available on WebMD.com.
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