Kaiser Permanente: Celebrating a Successful 2016

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January 08, 2017
Helping people live longer, healthier lives is its own reward. Still, a little recognition is nice.

In 2016, many organizations recognized Kaiser Permanente for providing high-quality, affordable health care. We wanted to share this list with you in celebration of our commitment to improving the health of our communities -- this year and beyond. 

• Medicare 5-star rating for health plan
Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare and commercial health plans in Northern California received the highest possible ratings from a national health plan rating group. The Northern California region’s health plan was one of eight Kaiser Permanente Medicare plans that received the 5 rating, out of 338 Medicare plans rated. The Kaiser Permanente Northern California health plan tied with Kaiser Permanente Southern California for the highest rating in the state and among the top 3 percent in the nation.

• California’s Office of the Patient Advocate’s highest rating
Kaiser Permanente received the highest quality ratings across the state from California's Office of the Patient Advocate annual report cards on health plans and medical groups. Kaiser Permanente, both in Southern and Northern California, had the highest quality ratings across the state in the HMO report card.

• Leapfrog Safety Score of an A for San Rafael and Santa Rosa 
The Leapfrog Group, a respected advocate of hospital transparency, gave Kaiser Permanente San Rafael and Santa Rosa hospitals an A for safety. Of 2,633 hospitals evaluated nationwide in the Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2016 Survey, SRO and SRF were among 844 to receive a Grade A Hospital Safety Score, making them two of the safest hospitals in America. 

• NCQA 5-star ratings
Kaiser Permanente Northern California received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which rates health plans for consumer experience, prevention and treatment. In NCQA Health Plan Ratings for 2016-17, KP’s health plans were rated 5 out of 5, the only health plan in the country to receive the highest rating for both Medicare and private plans.

• Women’s Choice awards for stroke, breast, and obstetric care for San Rafael and Santa Rosa
Women’s Choice Awards recognize both clinical performance and patient experience. Both medical centers’ Stroke Center and Breast Care Center were recognized as “America’s Best,” with SRO also ranking among America’s Best Hospitals for Obstetrics.

• J.D. Power Member Satisfaction rating’s highest-ranking
For the ninth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente received the highest rating for customer satisfaction in California, placing ahead of all other health plans in the state that were reviewed by J.D. Power. The organization received the highest score in overall member satisfaction and all six study factors, which included customer service, information and communication, provider choice, claims processing, cost, and coverage and benefits.

• ACS NSQIP recognition for San Rafael Medical Center for meritorious surgery outcomes (Santa Rosa was recognized, too, in 2015)
The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving meritorious outcome performances related to patient management in eight clinical areas: mortality, unplanned intubation, ventilator 48 hours, renal failure, cardiac incidents (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction); respiratory (pneumonia); SSI (surgical site infections-superficial and deep incisional and organ-space SSIs); or urinary tract infection.

• Distinguished Hospital Awards for Clinical Excellence from Healthgrades for San Rafael and Santa Rosa
Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence rate in the top 5 percent in the nation, with the lowest risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates in at least 21 of 32 common conditions and procedures.

Other honors received this year include:
• NBBJ’s Best Places to Work for San Rafael and Santa Rosa
• NBBJ’s Latino Business Leadership Award for Santa Rosa’s La Clinica
• NBBJ Healthiest Companies for San Rafael and Santa Rosa
• YMCA’s 2016 Healthy Living Champion for Santa Rosa