Kaiser Permanente is an American integrated managed care consortium that provides high-quality health care and coverage for more than 75 years. It was founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield. Kaiser Permanente is made up of three distinct but interdependent groups of entities: the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (KFHP) and its regional operating subsidiaries; Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and the regional Permanente Medical Groups.
Kaiser Permanentes model of care is based on connecting care with coverage, which means that when you’re a Kaiser Permanente member, your whole care team is connected through your electronic health record. This allows your doctor to use your health history to inform your care, and when you need to see a specialist, they’ll have important information about your health before they even meet you in person. Kaiser Permanente strongly supports preventive medicine and attempts to educate its members about maintaining their own health.
Kaiser Permanente is also at the forefront in the use of telehealth to provide care to its members, providing convenient care options including email, video, and phone consultations to give members flexibility in accessing providers. The organization is a leader in recognizing that healthy individuals need healthy communities, and healthy communities need healthy people to thrive. That is why Kaiser Permanente is working to improve the conditions for health and equity in communities by addressing the root causes of many ongoing health issues.
