OREANDA-NEWS. When she became eligible for Medicare, Linda Gummerson knew exactly what she wanted in a Medicare Advantage plan. As a member of the nation’s largest integrated health system for eight years prior, she knew she wanted to stay with Kaiser Permanente. “I love how everything is under ‘one roof’ — my doctor, pharmacy, labs and specialists. It just makes taking care of my health so much easier.”

Gummerson, a Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage member in Santa Rosa, California, is one of nearly 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries who rely on the health plan for high-quality health care with service that’s easy, convenient and personalized. Her experience represents one of the many reasons the organization’s Medicare health plans have once again achieved top scores for quality and service by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In today’s CMS announcement of the 2017 Medicare star quality ratings, Kaiser Permanente’s Northern and Southern California, Colorado, Northwest and Mid-Atlantic States regions received 5 out of 5 stars each, the highest overall rating. Kaiser Permanente’s Georgia and Hawaii regions earned 4.5 out of 5 stars.

According to the CMS, Kaiser Permanente represents four of 14 Medicare health plans (with Parts C and D) that earned 5 out of 5 stars — and of the more than 1.6 million beneficiaries enrolled in those 5-star plans nationwide, 81 percent are Kaiser Permanente Medicare members.

“Our high ratings year after year demonstrate our deeply-rooted commitment to safe, reliable, quality care and service for our members,” said Patrick Courneya, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. “Our coordinated, patient-centered approach enables patients to partner with their physicians and care teams to detect, prevent and treat chronic conditions and diseases. The health decisions they make together reflect the patient’s needs and preferences, helping them live full, healthy, active lives.”

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services created the Medicare star quality rating system to provide beneficiaries with a way to assess Medicare plans based on quality of care and service delivery. Kaiser Permanente Medicare plans have consistently received high ratings since CMS began the Medicare stars program, and have maintained high performance in all states in which the health plan operates.

The Medicare star quality rating system provides beneficiaries a way to assess Medicare health plans so they can make an informed decision when selecting a plan. CMS uses the star ratings system to rank Medicare health plans on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars representing the highest quality. The overall scores are based on care and service quality measures (Parts C and D) across nine categories, including staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service and pharmacy services. The star ratings also measure health plans’ compliance performance.

The methodology CMS uses for the star ratings is dynamic and continues to change. This means that Medicare health plans must stay ahead of the curve on measures that may be included in the 5-star portfolio, and continually improve their performance to achieve 5 stars.