Kaiser Permanente receives top marks in CMS 2022 Star Ratings

Kaiser Permanente has star power. The Medicare health plan in every region we serve has received a 5-star rating — the highest possible — from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2022.

CMS’ Medicare Part C (health plan) and Part D (drug plan) Star Rating system is designed to allow Medicare-eligible individuals to compare Medicare health plans based on quality and performance. Plans that receive 5 out of 5 stars in the annual ratings are recognized as excellent, providing expert medicine, seamless care, and outstanding service to their Medicare health plan members.

Our 2022 plans in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, the mid-Atlantic states (Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.), the Northwest (Oregon and Southwest Washington), and Washington state all received 5 out of 5 stars.

“These ratings affirm our standing as one of the finest health care organizations in the country and represent the excellent care provided by our highly skilled physicians, nurses, clinicians, and front-line staff,” said Nancy Gin, MD, executive vice president and chief quality officer for The Permanente Federation, the national umbrella organization for the more than 23,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente’s members. “We are dedicated to providing high-quality care for our Medicare health plan members and helping them live full, active lives.”

Consistently a top choice

Kaiser Permanente first earned the distinction of 5-star ratings for all of its Medicare health plans in 2014. This is also the 11th consecutive year all Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans have been rated 4.5 stars or higher. Kaiser Permanente provides care to nearly 1.8 million Medicare health plan members in 8 states and the District of Columbia.

“Kaiser Permanente is proud to provide, year after year, the highest quality health care and service, which is what our Medicare health plan members expect and deserve,” said Andrew Bindman, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Permanente. “From the moment our Medicare health plan members choose Kaiser Permanente for their care and coverage, we work diligently to provide an exceptional, coordinated care experience, and this distinction is a reflection of those efforts.”

Every year, CMS rates all Medicare Advantage health plans (Parts C and D) on multiple facets of care and service, including chronic conditions management, health maintenance, patient experience, customer service, and pharmacy services. Kaiser Permanente’s excellent plan ratings demonstrate the value of our integrated health care delivery system, which brings a myriad of services together, in many cases all under one roof, and puts our patients at the center of care.

Enrolling in a Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan

Medicare-eligible people can enroll in individual Medicare Advantage and Part D plans during the Medicare open enrollment period, which begins on October 15 and runs through December 7, 2021. Medicare-eligible individuals who have a 5-star Medicare health plan available in their area can also take advantage of a special enrollment period that runs from December 8, 2021, through November 30, 2022. During that time, they can join or switch to a plan with a 5-star quality rating (one plan change allowed per special enrollment period).

This story is reprinted from the AboutKP website.