Bree Collaborative Trailblazer Award recognizes quality and equity in health care organizations.
Kaiser Permanente Washington has been recognized with 17 Bree Collaborative Trailblazer awards. 2024 marks the first year Bree Collaborative has given out the awards, which recognize health care organizations that prioritize the elimination of barriers to meeting diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
The Bree Collaborative rewards organizations that can take processes out of the abstract into real-life implementation, whether through clinical practice, health care contracting, policy making, educational programs, or other activities. Implementation was measured by a series of checklists that were sent to subject matter experts throughout each health care organization.
Kaiser Permanente Washington was recognized in the following categories: Addiction and Dependence Treatment, LGBTQ Care, Telehealth, Palliative Care, Obstetrics, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Oncology, Primary Care, Prostate Cancer Screening, Behavioral Health Integration, Suicide Care, Psychotropics, Potentially Avoidable Readmissions, End-of-Life Planning, Outpatient Infection Control, Colorectal Cancer Screening, and Cervical Cancer Screening.
“This award helps both patients and health care purchasers identify organizations that provide care based on current, collaboratively developed, evidence-based best practices,” said Emily Transue, MD, chair of the Bree Collaborative. “Kaiser Permanente has been instrumental in helping other organizations understand this work and how to implement it. By providing a unique example of truly integrated care, it is able to overcome many barriers that challenge other systems.”
“We are honored to be among the first recipients of Bree Collaborative’s Trailblazer Award,” said Colin Fields, MD, quality medical program director at Kaiser Permanente Washington “Being recognized in so many categories is a testament to the level of quality care patients receive at Kaiser Permanente. This is truly an acknowledgment of our collective work and a tribute to the efforts of leadership, staff, and clinicians across the organization.”
“Our aim is to be the health provider of choice for all of our members. This Bree Collaborative recognition highlights that we are excelling in several areas, including the intentional focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity, which is essential to all that we do at Kaiser Permanente Washington. We are committed to continually improving our care practices and outcomes,” said Linda Tolbert, MD, executive medical director of Washington Permanente Medical Group.
All health systems that offer services to the Public Employees Benefits Board and the State Employees Benefits Board participate in the Bree Collaborative. The organization was established by the Washington State Legislature in 2011 to give public and private health care stakeholders the opportunity to identify specific ways to improve health care quality, outcomes, and affordability in Washington state.
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.