Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire - December 1, 1995
Today, Kaiser Permanente continues to demonstrate its commitment to care for AIDS patients and research into the disease in many ways. One of the latest will be Kaiser Permanente's 1995 Quality Report Card.
The decision by Northern California's largest health care organization to devote a chapter in its Report Card to AIDS care is important because it illustrates Kaiser's commitment to and support of our AIDS member population. Just as Kaiser Permanente monitors the treatment and outcomes of members who have heart disease, cancer or pediatric asthma it monitors and follows the treatment and care of AIDS patients.
Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Region has 2.4 million members. About 10,000 of those members have been treated for AIDS since the early '80s. Currently, over 4,000 AIDS patients are being treated at Kaiser.
The Report Card, now emulated by the entire HMO industry, was created by Kaiser Permanente in 1993 for 3 main reasons: to help providers understand the results of the care they give, to give patients and members information on what kind of health care is being delivered to them, and to give employers a performance guide which they could use when considering which health plan to choose for their employees. In Northern California, employers frequently ask "What kind of AIDS treatment programs do you have?" or "How can I be sure I can provide my employees with a quality health care plan?" The answers to some of those questions are in the Report Card.
For instance, in Northern California, Kaiser Permanente has 14 outpatient infusion centers which provide nearly 1,000 intravenous drug treatments every week. This humane innovation gives patients, families and friends greater independence and flexibility. A two or three hour outpatient appointment replaces a one or two day hospital stay. The infusion centers have been so successful, that now they are also used to treat cancer patients with chemotherapy, and other patients with chronic illnesses.
In addition, 90 percent of Kaiser Permanente's pregnant members have voluntarily participated in prenatal HIV screening programs. That high level of compliance is key to reducing the transmission of AIDS from mothers to babies by two-thirds.
Finally, in 1981, only 17 percent of those diagnosed with AIDS lived more than 2 years after that diagnosis. Since the CDC changed its definition of AIDS in the early '90s, more people in the earlier stages of the disease have been included. Today, 48 percent of members diagnosed with the disease outlive that 2 year marker.
The Report Card chapter on HIV/AIDS illustrates Kaiser's commitment to care for AIDS patients. Dr. Sally Slome, of the Oakland Medical Center and a member of the Regional AIDS Committee, said in this report, "In the face of the AIDS epidemic, Kaiser Permanente has fully embraced the concept of partnership in health care. A multitude of disciplines has evolved to address the unique but universal challenges born from the devastation of AIDS."
And Dr. George Matula, San Francisco Chair of Kaiser Permanente's Regional HIV Pharmacy and Therapeutics Subcommittee, said, "Kaiser Permanente has put a lot of resources into the fight against HIV/AIDS, we have gone above and beyond."
Kaiser Permanente's 1995 Report Card will be released in January, 1996.
CONTACT: Lila Petersen of Kaiser Permanente, 510-987-3852; or the Kaiser Permanente News Bureau, 510-987-3900
Copyright (c) 1995/PR NewsWire. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.
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