Measuring quality

Advantages for members

We rigorously examine our own quality performance against that of other health care providers in the community. And we measure up very well in important clinical areas.

Take, for example, cholesterol and blood pressure management, which are key measures for stroke and heart attack prevention. Our performance in these areas won us special accolades in a recent National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) annual report, citing the fact that death from heart disease is more than 30% lower in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente population than in the nonmember population in California (adjusted for age and gender).

Or look at childhood immunizations, which keep kids healthy and in school: we outperform other health plans in our region.1

We consistently rank high in effectiveness-of-care measures from national benchmarking tool HEDIS®2 in preventive screenings such as breast and cervical cancer screenings. This focus on keeping people healthy results in early treatment and better outcomes.

We are also a top performer in managing chronic conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. Our programs help members with chronic conditions enjoy a better quality of life.

Regional quality performance

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private nonprofit organization that accredits and rates health care providers. The NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Ratings are based on combined scores for health plans in Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set®, commonly called HEDIS; the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems®, or CAHPS; and NCQA Accreditation standards scores.

• NCQA private (commercial) insurance summary report
• NCQA private (commercial) insurance detail report
• NCQA Medicare insurance summary report
• NCQA Medicare insurance detail report

Physician group clinical care ratings

• From the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA)
• From the State of California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA)

Hospital quality measures

Additional plan hospital

• St. Joseph’s Medical Center
• Learn more about this facility through Care Compare-Hospitals

Recognition for quality care

Kaiser Permanente has received the following acclaim from independent organizations about our high quality care and member satisfaction:

Top-rated Medicare plans in California, 4 years in a row — Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in Northern California received the highest rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a national group that rates health plans for consumer experience, prevention and treatment.

Prevention Pros—Kaiser Permanente is the nation’s best at controlling high blood pressure.

Ranked highest in customer loyalty, 8 years in a row — For the eighth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente ranked highest in customer loyalty based on the 2018 NICE Satmetrix® Consumer Net Promoter Score® benchmark study.

You can also read Kaiser Permanente's Quality Program at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (PDF).

1 National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA ) annual report. Region IX includes Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and American Samoa.

2 HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA )

Reviewed by: Quality, Risk Management & Patient Safety Department
August 2019