Kaiser Permanente Celebrating Record Membership

Kaiser Permanente’s Hilo location. Kaiser Permanente file courtesy image.

Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi is celebrating record membership growth in the Islands with over 250,000 members, increasing 11 percent over the last four years.

“It has been our privilege to care for the people of Hawaiʻi for nearly six decades. Our focus on putting patients and their families first, enabling them to choose a top-notch primary or specialty care doctor, and serving as a partner in health to our members and the community has resulted in our significant growth,” said Mary Ann Barnes, RN, president of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Hawaiʻi Region.

Kaiser Permanente (KP) has offered care in Hawaiʻi for 59 years and provides health plans for employers and organizations, individuals and families, and Medicare or Medicaid. Membership growth spiked in 2016 with over 5,000 new members joining from businesses large and small throughout the state.

In a news release, KP said they have been working to increase access to health care on neighboring islands over the past several years, including the Lihue Clinic on Kauai in February 2016 and Kona Medical Office on Hawaiʻi Island in July 2014. KP also said some 100,000 members in Hawaiʻi use My Health Manager on KP.org, an online management portal to access lab results, manage prescriptions, schedule appointments, email physicians and more.

“Our focus has always been on providing high-quality healthcare to the people of Hawaiʻi from excellent physicians who are supported with advanced technology and the best evidence-based medical practices in the country,” said Barnes. “What’s new are the many ways Kaiser Permanente has increased its involvement in our Hawaiʻi community, working to make total health and well-being accessible to all.”