Bariatric surgery reduces costs for patients with type 2 diabetes
A Kaiser Permanente found that bariatric surgery reduced health care costs for adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in February 2025. “The study shows that both Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) help reduce ...
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Research leads to finding ways to improve outcomes for heart failure patients with chronic kidney disease
Research by physicians at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center is helping patients with heart failure to transition more smoothly and safely to dialysis if they develop chronic kidney disease. ...
Medicaid enrollees less vaccinated during pregnancy across US
Most individuals in the United States who are pregnant are not getting the vaccines that could protect them — and their babies — from COVID-19, flu, and whooping cough, a new study shows. This is ...
Intensive blood pressure control and patients with chronic kidney disease
The benefits of intensive blood pressure shown in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) also helps patients with chronic kidney disease, according to new research led by Kaiser Permanente ...
Five questions for … Jeff Slezak
September 28, 2020Jeff Slezak, MS, is a collaborative biostatistician research scientist for the Division of Epidemiologic Research in the Department of Research & Evaluation. He is focused on the application of statistics to improve knowledge and patient care. He has more than 25 years of experience as a statistician, including work on numerous prostate cancer research studies. Can ...Read more...Increasing physical activity, and health, through policy change
September 14, 2020While physical activity is vital for the health and well-being of children and adults, people aren’t doing enough of it, said Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, MBA, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. One way Dr. Young sought to change that was to lead an effort to create a policy statement for ...Read more...First of several Kaiser Permanente mask adherence studies released in Philadelphia
September 14, 2020Fewer than half of the people observed outdoors in Philadelphia were wearing masks correctly, according to research spearheaded by Deborah Cohen, MD, MPH, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation and Philadelphia-based Studio Ludo—a nonprofit focused on building better play through research, design, and advocacy. The study found that 51% of people on ...Read more...5 questions for… Dr. Jaejin An
September 2, 2020Jaejin An, PhD, is a research scientist in the Division of Epidemiologic Research and a pharmacoepidemiologist whose work focuses on understanding medication utilization, medication adherence, and disease management patterns.Read more...Physicians can influence people to try to lose weight
September 1, 2020People who were overweight were less likely to have tried to lose weight if their primary care provider had not talked with them about weight loss, a Kaiser Permanente study found. “By delivering factual information on weight status, primary care providers may motivate their patients to consider weight management strategies,” said Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, the ...Read more...Atypical femur fractures rise with longer bisphosphonate use
August 20, 2020In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Southern California research scientists report that while atypical femur fracture risk is rare, it does increase with longer use of bisphosphonate to treat osteoporosis, especially after 5 years. Asian women had approximately 5 times the risk of these fractures with prolonged bisphosphonate ...Read more...Obesity increases risk of death from COVID-19, particularly for men and young people
August 14, 2020In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente research shows that obesity was associated with a substantial increased risk of death from COVID-19. However, it also found that the risk of death from COVID-19 associated with obesity is not uniform among those who are obese, but instead disproportionately affects men and people ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente joins late-stage COVID-19 vaccine study
August 12, 2020Today, Kaiser Permanente began participating in a phase 3 clinical trial to test an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Kaiser Permanente plans to enroll approximately 1,400 participants at 4 sites in California and Oregon. The goal for this trial is to enroll up to 30,000 participants at more ...Read more...Improving care through research
July 21, 2020The Care Improvement Research Team is a groundbreaking partnership in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, bringing researchers and clinicians together to improve health care quality and affordability for Kaiser Permanente members and people throughout the world. Through CIRT, research scientists team up with frontline clinicians to identify research questions that are important to patients and the doctors ...Read more...Annual report shows Kaiser Permanente Southern California research stretching the frontier of health
July 8, 2020The growing need for solutions to important health questions requires innovative thinking beyond what experts know today. The Department of Research & Evaluation’s 2019 Annual Report, “Stretching the Frontier: Research Improving Health and Well-being,” illustrates some of the innovative ways Kaiser Permanente Southern California researchers and clinicians are working together toward answers to those questions. The ...Read more...