CMS quality ratings: Medicare plans among nation’s best

Kaiser Permanente receives top marks in Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ annual star quality ratings

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente is again among the nation’s best for providing safe and effective care and exceptional service to its Medicare members.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2020 Star Quality Ratings, Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, the Mid-Atlantic States (Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.), and Washington received 5 out of 5 stars, CMS’ highest rating. The Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan in the Northwest earned 4.5 out of 5 stars, CMS’ second-highest rating.

Kaiser Permanente provides care to nearly 1.7 million Medicare members in 8 states and the District of Columbia.

CMS annually rates health plans on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the highest, to provide beneficiaries with a way to assess Medicare plans based on the level of care and service delivery.  Medicare health plans that earn 5 out of 5 stars can participate in a 5-star special election period and continue to enroll new individual Medicare members from December 8 through November 30 of the following year. Beneficiaries who want to change from their current Medicare health plan to a 5-star plan may switch once per plan year during the 5-star special election period.

“More Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans achieved 5 out of 5 stars this year than in any other year in CMS star quality ratings program history,” said Patrick T. Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for National Health Plan and Hospitals Quality at Kaiser Permanente. “We are proud to provide the highest quality health care and convenient access our Medicare members expect and deserve.”

“These remarkable results are a testament to the clinical excellence of our physicians, nurses, clinicians, front-line staff, and unit-based care teams,” said Nancy Gin, MD, executive vice president and chief quality officer for The Permanente Federation, the national umbrella organization for the nearly 23,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente members. “We are dedicated to doing what’s best for the member and helping them live full, active lives.”

Plans are scored in several categories for care and service, including staying healthy, member satisfaction, managing chronic conditions, customer service, and pharmacy services. The Medicare star quality ratings align with Kaiser Permanente’s integrated health care delivery system that focuses on patient and customer needs. The ability to transform care and improve health outcomes continues to place Kaiser Permanente as one of the organizations that sets the bar for the entire health care industry.

Medicare beneficiaries can learn more about the star quality ratings and Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plans by visiting kp.org/medicarestars.