PASADENA, CA – Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Kaiser Permanente Northern California were the only health plans to earn four stars in the category Meeting National Standards of Care in the just-released HMO Quality Report from the California Office of the Patient Advocate. Kaiser executives credited the dedication of the healthcare team and an industry-leading electronic health record for helping the plans achieve excellence.

This marks the third straight year that the two Kaiser Permanente plans have led the way in clinical quality.

“This report shows what can happen when we combine a dedicated healthcare team with 21st century technology, including our industry leading electronic medical record system, KP HealthConnect, in a daily effort to improve the health of our patients,” said Benjamin Chu, MD, president of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region. “The results represent the efforts of all our team members, from the receptionist, to the nurse, to the laboratory technician, to the physician and all the other caregivers involved."

Kaiser Permanente Southern California received the highest ratings in 19 of 37 clinical measures detailed in the report – especially in the area of preventive medicine.

Here are a few examples:

• 96 percent of Kaiser Permanente patients with asthma in Southern California receive medicine to control their asthma, helping them to live normal lives and avoid visits to hospital emergency rooms;
• 93 percent of patients with diabetes had their blood sugar under control, helping them to avoid complications of diabetes; [See also: Online tool boosts chronic disease and preventive care.]
• 98 percent of patients with diabetes had their kidney function tested, helping to identify and treat potential problems early; and
• 96 percent of children aged 3-17 had their body mass index calculated, helping to identify potential obesity problems and intervene with lifestyle and diet changes to prevent childhood obesity.

[See also: IT helps with care coordination in heart disease prevention program.]

“Prevention is the key to healthcare in America today,” said Jeffrey Weisz, MD, executive medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, the physicians who care for Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California. “Prevention means improving the quality of people’s lives, sparing them from needless suffering and helping them to remain well,” he added.

Physicians from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group earned the most stars in each of the 10 geographic areas covered by the report.