OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente is committed to keeping its members healthy as they age. While chronic diseases are among the most costly of all health problems, they are also the most preventable. And, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), there's no health system in the nation that's more proficient at preventing several of the most common chronic diseases than Kaiser Permanente.

For the sixth year in a row, a Kaiser Permanente Medicare plan is No. 1 in the nation for breast cancer screening, according to the 2015 NCQA Quality Compass dataset. Kaiser Permanente is also ranked No.1 in eight other measures, including colorectal cancer screening (third year in a row) and osteoporosis management in women who had a fracture (seventh year in a row).

"Many Kaiser Permanente members have had their lives saved by our preventive practices," said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. "While Kaiser Permanente's excellence is grounded in our clinical experience and evidence-based medicine approach, our focus on prevention and early intervention gives our members better opportunities for wellness."
According to the 2015 NCQA Quality Compass data, Kaiser Permanente received top marks for:

Breast cancer screening (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Colorectal cancer screening (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Adult BMI assessment (tie, Georgia Region and Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Use of spirometry testing in assessment and diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD) disease (Southern California Region)
Comprehensive diabetes care — HbA1c testing (Northern California Region)
Comprehensive diabetes care — medical attention for nephropathy (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Osteoporosis management in women who had a fracture (Mid-Atlantic States Region)
Pharmacotherapy management of COPD exacerbation — bronchodilator (Southern California Region)
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (Southern California Region)
NCQA's annual Quality Compass dataset for Medicare assesses the performance of national health plans on 28 of the most important clinical and service standards, including medication management and respiratory conditions. Of the nearly 400 Medicare health plans considered by NCQA, no plan had more No. 1 ratings than Kaiser Permanente's nine top rankings.

"We are proud of the results from NCQA, but more importantly, we are proud that Kaiser Permanente is proactive in helping our members stay healthy and active as they age," said Scott Young, MD, associate executive director, The Permanente Federation, the national organization for the nearly 18,000 physicians who provide care to Kaiser Permanente's members. "At Kaiser Permanente, our highly coordinated care teams, supported by technology and practices such as the proactive office encounter, ensure our members get the screenings, vaccines and medications we know can make a difference in their health."

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