KP Inside - 101 Letters to Us at Kaiser Permanente

Since September 27, 2007, George Halvorson has personally written a weekly letter—delivered each Friday to all employees—celebrating achievements, successes, awards, and milestones of Kaiser Permanente. He has not missed a week. Topics have included Kaiser Permanente’s leadership role in slashing HIV-AIDS mortality rates in half, reducing pressure ulcers by 60 percent, preventing the number of broken bones in senior citizens by more than 30 percent—plus achieving recognition for health plan quality and service, electronic health records, research, environmental stewardship, employee diversity, and member satisfaction. These letters provide a unique and personal glimpse inside Kaiser Permanente, an organization that is both learning how to deliver the next generation of care, and teaching the world how to provide the very best patient-focused, electronically connected team care resulting in measurable and continuously improving medical outcomes. These are the exact letters that went to all members of the Kaiser Permanente care teams. Every single letter is a celebration. Enjoy the book. “ This book tells a fascinating story of what it means to be a high-performing organization at the top of its game—week in and week out.” Stephen M. Shortell, PhD Dean, School of Public Health University of California, Berkeley “ The letters are fun to read. They celebrate great achievements. They show what an organization based on a strong patient-centered physician culture, supported by state-of-the-art information technology well used, and by visionary leadership can do to improve health care.” Alain Enthoven, PhD Eccles Professor of Public and Private Management (Emeritus) Knight Management Center Stanford University Graduate School of Business