Kaiser News

Coffee drinkers may be less likely to be hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. The researchers, who note the findings may be surprising because patients frequently report palpitations after drinking coffee, are presenting the study at the American Heart Association's 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco on March 5, 2010.

Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente's vice president for Workplace Safety and environmental stewardship officer, testified March 9 before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environment, about Kaiser Permanente's efforts to curb the use of potentially toxic chemicals.

Kaiser Permanente, the nation's leading health care provider and not-for-profit health plan, received 12 Stage 7 Awards from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The Stage 7 Award honors hospitals that have achieved the highest level electronic health record implementation. The 12 awards were presented at the HIMSS 2010 annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

The sooner people with diabetes start taking metformin, the longer the drug remains effective, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the March issue of 'Diabetes Care,' a journal of the American Diabetes Association.

Kaiser Permanente announced today that every medical facility within the health system is now equipped with Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect(R), the largest private sector electronic health record in the world. Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo in Northern California are the most recent facilities to complete the final phase of electronic health record implementation, which includes bedside documentation, clinical decision support and bar-coding for medication administration.

The Nolo Press book, 'Healthy Employees, Healthy Business,' offers small business owners advice on creating and maintaining effective workplace wellness programs.

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, may increase their risk of developing diabetes later in their pregnancy, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research that appears online in the current issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Cochran, executive director of The Permanente Federation, talked to the National Governors Association about transforming health care delivery and the potential of integrated delivery systems.

Kaiser Permanente has been honored in Fast Company's annual Most Innovative Companies issue as the fifth Most Innovative Health Care Company in the World for its pioneering electronic health record that is the world's largest civilian electronic health record, and for its health care innovation center that develops the future of health care.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries (KFHP/H) reported today a combined total operating revenue of $10.6 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, compared to $10.0 billion in the same period in 2008. Operating income was $214 million, equal to two percent of revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to $108 million in the same quarter of the prior year. Net non-operating income was $276 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to a net non-operating loss of $1.1 billion in the same quarter of 2008. As a result, net income for the fourth quarter was $490 million, versus a net loss of $996 million in the same period of 2008. These represent the combined operating results for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries.

Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved 500 grants and donations nationwide totaling $90 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. In total, Kaiser Permanente approved $170 million in grants and donations to support efforts to keep people healthy during these tough economic times.