Kaiser Permanente Again Ranks No. 1 in Customer Loyalty in the 2014 Satmetrix Net Promoter® Benchmark Study

OAKLAND, Calif., March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente received the highest customer loyalty ranking in the health insurance category based on the Satmetrix® 2014 Net Promoter® industry rankings, the company announced today. Kaiser Permanente received a Net Promoter Score of 40 points, 23 points higher than the industry average. This is the fourth consecutive year Kaiser Permanente has led the health insurance category.

"Kaiser Permanente continues to be the leader in customer loyalty in the health insurance sector," said Brendan Rocks, data scientist, Satmetrix. "The company successfully has leveraged an innovative business model that combines insurance coverage with health care delivery in one coordinated service. Consumers cited positive aspects of the entire health care experience when sharing about their interactions with the Kaiser Permanente health plans, giving the company the highest scores in the industry on key measures, including 'acts in my best interest,' 'my policy gives me peace of mind' and 'treats customers fairly.' "

"We are very pleased to be recognized again this year by consumers across the country," said Arthur M. Southam, MD, executive vice president, Health Plan Operations for Kaiser Permanente. "Kaiser Permanente's integrated system and innovative technology enable us to respond to member preferences for how, when and where they want to receive care and service, resulting in a more personalized experience and higher satisfaction."

Firms identified as the satisfaction leaders in other industries include USAA, Amazon.com, Pandora, Costco, Wegmans, Apple, Tracfone, Southwest and Westin. The Satmetrix Net Promoter Benchmark rankings are based on survey responses from more than 24,000 U.S. consumers nationwide who indicated they had significant experience with a company's products or services in the previous 12 months. A company's Net Promoter Score, or NPS®, is based on customers' likelihood to recommend the company's product or service. NPS is the percentage of customers who are promoters, rating the company 9 or 10 on a 0 to 10 point scale, minus the percentage who are detractors, rating 6 or lower. 

Consumers also rated each company on various aspects of customer experience, including product or service features, customer service and overall value, enabling Satmetrix to analyze drivers of loyalty and performance gaps for each company.

This Satmetrix customer loyalty ranking is the most recent in a string of accolades for quality and service earned by Kaiser Permanente hospitals and health plans. In the past year:

• Nineteen Kaiser Permanente hospitals were named 2013 "Top Hospitals" by The Leapfrog Group, an honor that recognizes medical centers for their outstanding success in areas such as reducing infection rates, safety practices, mortality rates for common procedures and measures of efficiency.
• Kaiser Permanente Medicare and Commercial health plans received No. 1 rankings for 2013 in 29 effectiveness-of-care measures (13 for commercial plans, 16 for Medicare plans), far more than any other health plan in the nation, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Quality Compass® dataset.
• Kaiser Permanente'sMedicare health plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest ranking possible, in all of its geographical regions.
• Kaiser Permanente was rated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as having the five highest-ranked Medicare health plans in the nation.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve approximately 9.1 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, care delivery and chronic disease management. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

Contact: Mark Camps[email protected]
510-625-5624

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130718/SF49717LOGO

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente