Kaiser Permanente earns 5-stars for Medicare plan quality, care

Kaiser Permanente’s health plan in California is again among the highest rated in the nation as indicated in the CMS annual Star Quality Ratings for 2021, providing expert medicine, seamless care, and outstanding service to its Medicare members.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ 2021 Medicare Star Ratings, Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, the Mid-Atlantic States (Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.), and the Northwest received 5 out of 5 stars, CMS’ highest Medicare star rating. The Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan in Washington state earned 4.5 out of 5 stars, CMS’ second-highest rating.

This is the 10th straight year Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in California has been rated 5 stars. It’s also the 10th consecutive year that all Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plans across the nation have been rated 4.5 stars or higher. Kaiser Permanente provides care to more than 1.7 million Medicare members in 8 states and the District of Columbia.

“Kaiser Permanente is proud to be consistently recognized for the high-quality care and service we provide to our Medicare members,” said Tom Hanenburg, interim president Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “We recognize that even during these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to be a leader in providing exceptional service and care to our members who need it most.”

“Our clinical teams of physicians, nurses, and front-line staff deliver extraordinary care to our members and patients, which is why we continue to be rated among the best in the nation for delivering high-quality care,” said Richard S. Isaacs, MD, CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group. “We are proud of this recognition, which demonstrates our clinical excellence and our commitment to providing the right care at the right time for our patients.”

Every year, CMS scores Medicare health plans (with Parts C and D) on a number of facets of care and service, including staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, patient experience, customer service, patient access, and pharmacy services. The ratings align with Kaiser Permanente’s integrated health care delivery system, which brings a multitude of services together to focus on patient and customer needs. The ability to transform care and improve health outcomes along with its systematic approach to continuous improvement highlight Kaiser Permanente as an organization that sets the standard for health care.

Enrolling in Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare Plan

Open enrollment, known as the Annual Election Period, for all Medicare health plans begins on October 15 and runs through December 7. Kaiser Permanente health plans that receive 5 stars may also participate in a special election period and can continue to enroll new individual Medicare members from December 8, 2020, through November 30, 2021. Beneficiaries who want to change from their current Medicare health plan to a 5-star plan may switch once per plan year during the special election period.

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