| School Days: Kaiser Permanente Aces OPA Test
Kaiser Permanente received the highest grades on a report card released by the California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA).
The OPA’s HMO Ratings At-a-Glance, 2010 Edition,
provided a look at health plan performance in two categories: Meeting
National Standards of Care and Members Rate their HMO.
The health plans assessed were: Aetna Health of
California Inc.; Anthem Blue Cross – HMO; Blue Shield of
California HMO; CIGNA HMO; Health Net of California Inc.; Kaiser
Permanent, Northern California and Southern California; PacifiCare of
California and Western Health Advantage.
Kaiser Permanent in Southern California was the only
plan to get four-star ratings in both categories while its northern
California plan got four stars for meeting national standards and three
stars from its members. The other plans received three stars in both
categories, except for California Blue Shield and CIGNA HMO which
received two stars from their members.
To determine the ratings in the two categories quality
scores were constructed using the HEDIS and CAHPS quality performance
systems. The quality measures are based on the services, care, and
experiences of samples of commercial HMO members who were enrolled in
the HMO throughout 2008. Medical chart and service records were
collected and HMO members were surveyed in a standardized way through
the coordination of the California Cooperative Healthcare Reporting
Initiative.
To determine member ratings each year, OPA contacts a
sample of HMO members by mail or phone to complete a CAHPS survey.
Typically, about one-third of the members contacted answer the survey.
The survey asks members to rate all of their experience with the health
plan and is a good summary of members’ reported experiences
across areas ranging from customer service to finding a doctor.
Address: Kaiser Permanente, One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612; (510) 271-5910, www.kp.org.
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