Hospital systems Archives

Emergency room physicians moving away from lumbar puncture for headache evaluation

April 19, 2024

A new Kaiser Permanente study shows a gradual shift over time has occurred in the way emergency department physicians evaluate and diagnose sudden, severe headaches.

Blood clots in hospitalized patients tied to worse outcomes

November 21, 2022

A Kaiser Permanente study found the incidence of blood clots in hospitalized patients and those recently discharged has slowly been increasing over time.

Improving care for cancer patients

October 3, 2022

Two new papers detail how Kaiser Permanente oncology care teams restructured processes to enhance care for patients with breast and lung cancer.

Shorter wait between COVID-19 and elective surgery possible

July 19, 2022

Kaiser Permanente researchers have good news for patients, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and hospital administrators who have had to put off elective surgery because of a positive COVID-19 test. Among fully vaccinated patients, there may not be an elevated risk with surgery soon after COVID-19.

National recognition for Kaiser Permanente early alert system

April 19, 2022

Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s life-saving Advance Alert Monitor (AAM) program — an early detection system that helps care teams predict when hospitalized patients are at risk for clinical deterioration — has been recognized by The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum.

Neighborhood green space tied to lower health care costs

March 18, 2022

New Kaiser Permanente research finds health care system costs were lower for people who live in greener areas.

Some pulmonary embolism patients effectively treated in primary care

January 12, 2022

Some people who get blood clots in their lungs may be able to skip a visit to the emergency department and be managed safely by their primary care physicians, a new Kaiser Permanente analysis suggests.

Life-saving Kaiser Permanente patient alert system garners international award

December 29, 2021

The Advance Alert Monitor (AAM), a hospital early warning system built on research led by Kaiser Permanente Division of Research investigator Gabriel Escobar, MD, received international recognition.

A researcher’s career improving hospital care began with the youngest patients

December 9, 2021

Gabriel Escobar, MD, retires in December after 30 years as a research scientist with DOR and as regional director for hospital operations research for Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC).

Predictive model paired with case management reduced rate of readmitted hospital patients

August 11, 2021

A follow-up program for Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients discharged from the hospital was associated with reduced readmissions without increased mortality, new research in the journal BMJ suggests.

New tool for early identification of COVID-19 surges

July 26, 2021

Health systems could use data from routine clinical care to identify the onset of upcoming COVID-19 surges as many as 6 weeks before they occur, Kaiser Permanente researchers found in a study published in the journal BMJ Open.

Sarcoma patients benefit when expert team develops treatment plan

April 14, 2021

Kaiser Permanente study by adjunct investigator and oncologist/hematologist Minggui Pan, MD, PhD, quantifies impact of a virtual tumor board for rare type of cancer.

Real-time in-hospital alerts associated with lower patient mortality

November 11, 2020

A sophisticated system that analyzes electronic data about hospital patients, identifies those at risk of deteriorating, and issues an alert to a centralized team of specially trained nurses resulted in a lower mortality rate, Kaiser Permanente researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Standardized reporting of chest CT scans improves odds of early lung cancer diagnosis

November 4, 2020

Kaiser Permanente study finds new classification and automated referral system benefits patients.

COVID-19 pandemic brings telehealth center stage for oncologists and their patients

May 4, 2020

A new Kaiser Permanente research paper explains how Kaiser Permanente Northern California quickly ramped up its existing telehealth oncology program at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaiser Permanente reduces hospitalizations even as sicker patients are admitted

December 4, 2019

Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California hospitals reduced hospitalizations and readmissions even as patients’ conditions increased in severity, a new analysis shows.

At-home dialysis improves quality of life

September 9, 2019

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

September 3, 2019

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

August 7, 2019

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

July 24, 2019

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

July 17, 2019

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

June 19, 2019

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

June 11, 2019

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

January 22, 2019

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

December 3, 2018

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.

Acute Kidney Injury in Hospitals Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure

May 17, 2018

Hospitalized patients who experience acute kidney injury face a 44 percent greater risk of heart failure during their first year after leaving the hospital, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

Kidney Disease Patients with Implantable Heart Defibrillators at Greater Risk of Hospitalization

February 5, 2018

In a study of nearly 6,000 community-based patients with chronic kidney disease and heart failure, the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) was associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent hospitalization.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program at Kaiser Permanente Significantly Improves Surgical Outcomes

May 10, 2017

A comprehensive Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program implemented in Kaiser Permanente’s 20 Northern California medical centers involved nearly 9,000 surgical...

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