Francis Crosson: Lessons on integration from Kaiser

Dr Francis J.Crosson, Director of Public Policy for Permanente Medical Group and a Senior Fellow in the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, talks to Nuffield Trust Director Dr Jennifer Dixon about the integrated care system at Kaiser Permanente, which operates across three tiers: amongst physicians; between physicians and hospitals; and with the payer/commissioner, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.

Dr Crosson outlines the role of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan within this system, how it has contributed to their success, and the benefits of being aligned to the Plan rather than working with several payers. He goes on to consider the role of outside competition as a performance enhancer and to give an overview of the internal payment systems Kaiser uses on the provider side.

Dr Crosson presented at the Commonwealth Fund and Nuffield Trust 12th international meeting on the quality of health care in July 2011.