OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Geborah is a
mom, family therapist, and Medicare member at Kaiser Permanente in
Southern California. And thanks to
Kaiser Permanente's persistence, Geborah is a breast-cancer
survivor.
"I started to get calls and emails, and I think I might have
gotten a letter," Geborah said. "And finally when I went in to have
a mammogram, sure enough, they found something. … If I had
maintained my stubborn stance, and I hadn't relented, I'd have
advancing cancer."
Geborah's mammogram detected something suspicious, and an
ultrasound confirmed that she had early stage cancer. And that's
exactly why Kaiser Permanente does a lot of testing. Early stage
cancers are much easier to beat than those at advanced stages.
Kaiser Permanente isn't the only health care company in the
nation espousing the life-saving benefits of cancer screenings —
but it is the best. According to the National Committee of Quality
Assurance's Quality Compass data for Medicare members, Kaiser
Permanente health plans lead the nation in breast cancer screening,
colorectal screening, cholesterol management and 12 other
effectiveness of care measures.
"We know prevention saves the lives of our members," said Pat
Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer
for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.
"While Kaiser Permanente's excellence is grounded in our clinical
experience and evidence-based medicine approach, our focus on
prevention and early intervention gives our members better
opportunities for wellness."
"We are proud of the results from NCQA," said Amy
Compton-Phillips, MD, chief quality officer, The Permanente
Federation. "At Kaiser Permanente, our physicians, nurses and care
teams make it a priority to encourage members to get the tests we
know can make a difference in their health."
Kaiser Permanente Southern California has been the top-rated
Medicare health plan for breast cancer screenings for the past
three years. And, a Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan has been No. 1
for the past five years.
According to the NCQA Quality Compass data, Kaiser Permanente
received top marks for:
- Breast cancer screening (Southern California Region)
- Colorectal cancer screening (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
- Adult BMI assessment (Georgia Region)
- Use of spirometry testing in assessment and diagnosis of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Southern California
Region)
- Persistence of beta blocker treatment after heart attack
(Colorado Region)
- Cholesterol management CAD — LDL level <100 (Mid-Atlantic
States Region)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — blood pressure control
(<140/80) (Southern California Region)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — blood pressure control
(<140/90) (Colorado Region)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — HbA1c testing (Colorado
Region)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — LDL Level <100 (Hawaii
Region)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — LDL Screening (tie, Hawaii and Mid-Atlantic States Regions)
- Comprehensive diabetes care — medical attention for
nephropathy
- Osteoporosis management in women who had a fracture (Southern
California Region)
- Follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness — 7 days
(Colorado Region)
- Follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness — 30 days
(Colorado Region)
NCQA's annual Quality Compass data for Medicare assesses the
performance of national health plans on 35 important clinical and
service standards, including medication management and respiratory
conditions. Of the nearly 400 Medicare health plans considered by
NCQA, no plan had more No. 1 ratings than Kaiser Permanente's 15
top rankings.
This recognition by NCQA is the latest in a string of national
accolades Kaiser Permanente's Medicare health plans have received
in the past several months. In mid-September, the NCQA ranked all
seven Kaiser Permanente health plans in the Top 10 (including the
Top 3) in the country. In October, Kaiser Permanente's Medicare
health plans in six of our seven regions earned 5 stars — the
highest overall rating for quality and service — from the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Kaiser Permanente Georgia
received 4.5 stars.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to
improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide
range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians
and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA is committed to
providing health care quality information for consumers,
purchasers, health care providers and researchers.
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 9.5 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 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: Mark Camps
510-267-7653
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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente