This month marks the 68th anniversary of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Health Plan opening to the general public. Earlier this year, Bernard J. Tyson assumed command of what has become a $50 billion healthcare colossus, whose 17,000 physicians and 175,000 employees serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia.
The new CEO inherited an integrated delivery system that consistently wins plaudits for quality and a highly competitive cost structure. In California, which has the highest penetration of HMOs in the nation, Kaiser now has a 58% market share – more than twice the next three competitors combined, according to a recent study by the California HealthCare Foundation.
Editor Merrill Goozner recently interviewed Tyson during his visit to Modern Healthcare's headquarters in Chicago:
