USE OF STATISTICS AT KAISER PERMANENTE8 USE OF STATISTICS AT KAISER PERMANENTE 8 Use of Statistics at Kaiser Permanente Abstract The preceding paper analyzes how descriptive statistics is used in Kaiser Permanente. In addition to that it also highlights the use of inferential statistics in the organization. Apart from that the paper evaluates the use of four levels of measurement in the organization. In addition to that the role of proper interpretation of statistical information in efficient decision making has also been described by the paper. Use of Statistics at Kaiser Permanente Introduction Kaiser Permanente was founded in the year 1945. It is one of the united State of America's largest not for profit health care delivery services. It serves about 9.1 million members. The headquarters of Kaiser Permanente is situated in the city of Oakland, which is in the state of California. (Kaiser Permanente, 2013) The Kaiser Permanente organization consists of the following three major components; Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and the subsidiaries of these hospitals. (Kaiser Permanente, 2013) Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. (Kaiser Permanente, 2013) The Permanente Medical Groups. (Kaiser Permanente, 2013) At Kaiser Permanente, the primary decision makers are the physicians. In addition to that, The Permanente Medical Groups keeps on devising methods through which the Kaiser Permanente organization can provide its members with high quality and efficient health care
A set of metrics is used to measure the performance of the organization, in case metric fails to meet a set standard, steps are taken to correct the deficiency. The volume of the patient is of great importance for a health care organization. A drop in patients volume results into loss of business and may force the organization to decrease operational cost, by cutting labor and inventory expenses. On the other hand, increase in a number of patients is a sign of growth and requires an addition of staff and expansion of services.
Reinvest current net income into interest accounts for future variable health care costs for years to come
One of Kaiser Permanente’s strengths is being known as one of the most innovative healthcare systems when it comes to technology. With the ability for members to make virtual appointments, it is not only cost effective for members but also convenient. Virtual appointments are free of cost to members and are convenient to homebound patients. Another strength is that Kaiser Permanente is the largest managed care organization in the nation. Setting the standard as the leading healthcare provider, Kaiser has created a one-stop shop with its medical groups, hospitals, and health plan.
The decision-making process occurs at all levels of management. However, the top executive managers, middle level managers, and front line managers are responsible for guiding the decision making process within their healthcare organizations (Liebler & McConnell, 2008,p.148). CEO’s are responsible for guiding the actions and behaviors of their employees to collectively achieve the organization’s goals. The mission and vision statement are the foundation of what direction the healthcare agency is heading. The CEO and top level executives are responsible for developing code of ethics and code of conduct to align with accreditation, licensing, and federal and state laws.
As a managed care organization Kaiser Permanente has served as a model for informational healthcare systems and the recent demand for affordable care has prompted the organization to lower cost in services without hindering the quality of care. Kaiser Permanente has integrated a system in which the organization assumes all financial risk and a bundled enrollment fee for service strategy. What makes Kaiser Permanente unique from other HMOs is their accountability for quality, utilization management, financial risk, and business strategies (Kaiser Permanente, 2009).
Kaiser Permanente is a large nonprofit integrated healthcare plan. This organization serves a tremendous amount of patients all over the United States with more than 38 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices. They offer medical care from chronic care visits to deliveries and prescription refills ("Who We Are - Kaiser Permanente," n.d.) Kaiser Permanente conducts campaigns to spread their care knowledge to others. They perform sick care, prevention care, and treatment for those who need it.
This a follow up to our meeting on Friday, March 18, 2016. At that time, you and I discussed together the results of the random chart review accessing the clinical quality of care being provided to Kaiser Permanente members at the UCCS Health Circle Primary Care Clinic. No major concerns were identified and the care delivered is considered to meet clinically acceptable
Kaiser Permanente's roots go back to the 1930s when a young surgeon, Sidney Garfield, was providing medical care to the thousands of men building the Los Angeles Aqueduct through the Mojave Desert. He borrowed money to build Contractors General Hospital; six miles from a tiny town called Desert Center, and began treating sick and injured workers. But financing was difficult, and Dr. Garfield was having trouble getting the insurance companies to pay his bills in a timely fashion. To compound matters, not all of the men had insurance. Dr. Garfield refused to turn away any sick or injured worker, so he often was left with no payment at all for his services.
Analyses used to collect the data were the profitability, break-even and utilization/volume. A dashboard analysis was also used. To analyze the profit of the organization over the next five years, profitability analysis was used with considering inflation rates for each item. Break-even analysis was used to compare the amount of additional visits per day if the clinic operated as-is to operating with the expansion of the new marketing program. The break-even analysis was also used to recognize the volume required to cover the costs of the marketing program. The dashboard analysis was then used to summarize all analyses used.
My most defining community service activity is my volunteer work at Kaiser Permanente. One time when I was escorting a disabled patient to the pharmacy, I chose to stay past my shift and take a detour to the cafeteria to help her purchase lunch as she did not have spare time throughout the day to eat. Being the only two people in the cafeteria, I wheeled her around, assisting her in ordering her food and carrying her meal. As she graciously thanked me for being patient with her, the expression on her face showed genuine appreciation for my action which filled me with satisfaction from my selfless deeds.
Healthcare professionals are faced with making multi-faceted decisions on a daily basis. These decisions are not just limited to clinical matters, but they include the total patient care experience. Because of emerging healthcare trends and complex health law and ethics, it is imperative that healthcare administrators have a professional organization that they can belong to. “The
Success Of Kaiser Permanente Health Care Model And The Group Health Cooperative Model Of Health Care Compared To Other Initiatives In Health Care “Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health care organization. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group-practice health maintenance organization (HMO) with headquarters in Oakland, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of members in 9 states and the District of Columbia.” Today, it encompasses Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the Permanente Medical Groups, as well as affiliation with Group Health Cooperative based in Seattle, Washington. Kaiser Permanente aspires to be the world leader in improving health through high-quality, affordable, integrated health care. We will be distinguished by our strong social purpose, physician responsibility for clinical care, and an enduring partnership between our Health Plan and our medical groups. Kaiser Permanente provides coverage programs for thousands of uninsured children and adults who are ineligible for existing state or private programs due to family income or immigration status. The organization also partners with community-based clinics to provide expertise, clinical guidelines, and other support for these safety-net providers. Through its research centers across the country, “Kaiser Permanente conducts more research, over 1,000 studies annually, than any other non-academic institution in the U.S.” The
It's just that there may be no quick fix we can do by ourselves in the pharmacy. Let me explain how I'm thinking about this and how I would propose attacking the problem using what I just learned in the statistical thinking course."
Providing quality delivery care is the cornerstone of Kaiser operation and addressing language needs of the diverse communities it serves is receiving attention from the National Diversity and Inclusion Office. Kaiser’s National Diversity and Inclusion was established with the objective to promote, support, and assist the regions in implementing the Kaiser Permanente Board of Directors agenda in providing culturally competent medical care and culturally appropriate services to improve the health and satisfaction of its members.
The following pages present a brief analysis of sample data from one healthcare organization. Accompanying this written report are spreadsheets of the company's financial data its balance sheet and its statement of revenue and expenses that provide not only the figures from the audited reports of the hospital examined, but also show the change from year to year on each item as both a dollar amount and a percentage. Changes of more than five percent are considered worthy of discussion, and as these documents show much