Kaiser Permanente reduces hospitalizations even as sicker patients are admitted
Kaiser Permanente's Northern California hospitals reduced hospitalizations and readmissions even as patients' conditions increased in severity, a new analysis shows.
Kaiser Permanente
Division of Research Spotlight
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. We seek to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects.
At-home dialysis improves quality of life
The new KP Research Radio podcast looks at how the expansion of at-home dialysis in Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region is improving the quality of life of patients with end-stage kidney disease.
Medical imaging rates continue to rise despite push to reduce their use
Despite a broad campaign among physician groups to reduce the amount of imaging in medicine, the rates of use of CT, MRI and other scans have continued to increase in both the United States and Ontario, Canada, according to a new study of more than 135 million imaging exams.
Kaiser Permanente research shows mastectomy patients recover safely at home
A study in Annals of Surgical Oncology finds that the rate of home recovery after mastectomy increased from 23% regionwide to 61% in the 6 months after the program started, with no significant changes in emergency-department visits, reoperations, or readmissions.
Use of CT scans during pregnancy increased in U.S. and Canada over 2 decades
A large, multicenter study of advanced medical imaging in pregnancy, published in JAMA Network Open and co-led by Marilyn Kwan, PhD, found that CT scans were performed in 0.8% of pregnancies in the United States and 0.4% in Ontario in 2016; these rates increased nearly fourfold in the United States and doubled in Ontario over the 21 years.
Kaiser Permanente machine learning analysis of sepsis illustrates condition’s complexity
A new machine learning algorithm developed by Kaiser Permanente researchers reveals the complexity of sepsis by sorting patients into recognizable treatment subgroups.
Clinical tool accurately predicts children’s appendicitis risk in Kaiser Permanente emergency rooms
Erring on the side of caution, emergency physicians tend to order CT scans to evaluate appendicitis in children, “but research shows that we weren’t necessarily catching more appendicitis,” Dr. Cotton said. “CT scans are costly and expose children to ionizing radiation that can increase the risk of cancer. At the same time, emergency physicians do not want to miss an important diagnosis like appendicitis.”
Pregnancy history of red-blood-cell donors not linked to higher mortality in transfusion recipients
Division of Research investigators participated in a multi-institution collaborative analysis, which supported the safety of current transfusion practice within Kaiser Permanente’s network of community hospitals.
The New Faces of Health Care Research
Seven early-career researchers began their post-doctoral appointments this past year and represent not only diverse communities but diverse research interests as well. This is Part 1 of our new class profile.
Kaiser Permanente “Tele-triage” of Chest Pain Safely Reduces Emergency Room Visits
A new Kaiser Permanente study led by Dana Sax, MD, published today in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, found that “tele-triage” of patients with chest pain over the phone can safely and effectively direct people to the right place for receiving care.
