Kaiser Permanente expanding metro presence

By Misty Williams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kaiser Permanente of Georgia is embarking on another expansion in an effort to better coordinate care for its patients – adding a total of nearly 150,000 square feet of space at two existing metro Atlanta sites.

The nonprofit health plan is investing roughly $100 million to create one-stop shop medical centers for its patients at locations in Duluth and Kennesaw, with cardiology, nuclear medicine, OB/GYN, pulmonology and other specialty services. Primary care, urgent care and pharmacy services will also be included.

Some 100 jobs – 90 of them new positions – will be added at each location, said Dr. Rob Schreiner, executive medical director of Southeast Permanente Medical Group. Construction is slated to be completed in spring 2012.

The expansions are part of a larger effort by Kaiser to increase its presence in the region and provide more streamlined, cost-effective care. It has grown its number of neighborhood medical offices to 28 – adding 11 new facilities over the past 18 months.

It’s about building on Kaiser’s care model, which emphasizes prevention and communication among doctors whether they’re in the same location or via electronic medical records, telehealth and other technologies, Schreiner said.

The result is better care and lower costs, he said, adding that Kaiser has seen no rise in health care costs so far this year. “What we’re doing is clearly more efficient and effective.”

Health care providers are increasingly seeking to provide coordinated care, particularly by using electronic records, said Dr. Dan DeLoach, president of the Medical Association of Georgia. "It significantly decreases duplication of X-rays and tests."

Ultimately, Kaiser's goal is to boost market share in metro Atlanta from 5 percent currently to 15 percent, Schreiner said. The plan has also seen an increase in membership of nearly 9 percent this year – bringing the total to 244,000. The number of doctors with Southeast Permanente Medical Group, which cares for Kaiser patients, will also grow from 290 at the start of 2011 to roughly 400 by the end of the year.