Kaiser Permanente
01/20/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/20/2026 11:15
A better way to measure care quality
By Andrew B. Bindman, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer
Kaiser Permanente's commitment to our members' health is more than a promise - it's a measurable reality.
New research shows Kaiser Permanente members were 35% less likely to die early than others in the communities in which we operate when looking at all causes of death combined. And mortality rates among Kaiser Permanente members were lower than nonmembers in the community for all racial and ethnic groups.
The study used an approach developed by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to examine mortality and years of life lost.
Meaningful measurement that looks at the outcomes that matter to people - like living longer, healthier lives - is important to ensure health systems deliver on their commitments to patients.
Measuring outcomes can improve care
One of the reasons Kaiser Permanente has such impressive outcomes for our members is because of our unique value-based, integrated care model.
Our model combines care and coverage together. It focuses on coordinated care, population health, and aligned incentives that all drive high-quality care.
For several years, we have been on a journey to transform the way we measure the quality of our care.
Measuring quality helps us hold ourselves accountable and demonstrate value to our members and patients.
Nationwide, most quality measurement in health care focuses on health care processes. For example, did a patient get a mammogram? Did they get their medication in a timely manner? Year over year, Kaiser Permanente is among the best in the nation for many of these measures, including cancer screenings and blood pressure control.
These measures are important because they tell us what care the patient received, but not how it affected their health.
Health outcomes are more meaningful to patients. For example, how is a patient doing 5 years after cancer treatment? How likely are they to return to the hospital for an unexpected medical problem after surgery?
This kind of data helps us better understand what we're doing well and where we need to improve.
At Kaiser Permanente, we routinely measure health outcomes for certain diseases and conditions. These include cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health, and maternal health.
We analyze our care outcomes across patients from different groups - including age, location, or other demographic characteristics. This helps us identify where gaps exist, what's working well, and where we can improve to better serve people across different communities.
Our work with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is an example of measuring outcomes that other health care organizations could replicate.
If more organizations used similar measurements, it would help us learn from one another and create benchmarks for progress.
Outcomes measurement is essential for value-based care
The U.S. health care system must join us in shifting to outcome-based quality measurement.
We can expand our impact on the health of our communities if other health care stakeholders come along with us.
This has never been more important as many health care organizations continue to transition to value-based models of care.
Kaiser Permanente's distinct brand of value-based care is defined as a health care delivery and financing model that improves health outcomes and increases access to affordable care in the community through evidence-based care and a commitment to equity, simplicity, and aligned incentives across the system.
Value-based care focuses on improving health outcomes, instead of focusing on the number of services delivered.
It can successfully reduce costs and improve care by delivering the right care at the right time. When people have access to trusted, evidence-based health care, they can prevent and treat conditions early and stay their healthy best. Ultimately, this can help make coverage more affordable.
While much of the value-based care discussion focuses on payment models, at Kaiser Permanente it's always been focused on health.
We believe quality measurement is a powerful tool that can inform and promote high-quality care that helps achieve the best possible health outcomes for everyone.
Lessons for policymakers
Kaiser Permanente's success offers some key insights for policy leaders.
- Reward quality using outcomes measures. Commercial insurers and government health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid that measure and reward quality should identify and use outcome measures that focus on improved individual and population health. This not only improves health but the affordability of care.
- Examine data by demographics. We need to analyze data so that we can see health outcomes for patients from different populations. Then we can determine how to help everyone enjoy the best possible health. This will help health care organizations improve care for all patients and reduce gaps in care for groups from specific backgrounds.
- Use measures that matter to patients. We support measuring quality through outcomes that are meaningful to patients. Making this shift will help identify and elevate the specific approaches to value-based care that deliver the greatest positive impact on members' and patients' health.
- Increase access to coverage. Our data shows that health coverage matters. Being insured means patients are less likely to die from a preventable illness. Other research also confirms this. And the more people have coverage, the more affordable coverage becomes for everyone.
We encourage other health care organizations to join us in making the shift to outcomes measurement.
This will collectively strengthen our efforts by enabling us to learn from and benchmark against one another.
By working together, we can ensure the U.S. health care system delivers care that helps everyone lead a longer, healthier life.
Kaiser Permanente published this content on January 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 20, 2026 at 17:15 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]