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 ...
Younger adults respond to colorectal cancer screening outreach
October 24, 2024The updated national colorectal cancer screening guidelines that recommend screening begin at age 45 — rather than 50 — can benefit younger adults, a new Kaiser Permanente study found. The study was published October 22, 2024, in Annals of Internal Medicine. It included 267,732 Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California, Washington, and Colorado ages 45 to ...Read more...Opioid use among breast cancer survivors can increase risk of falls and fractures
October 16, 2024Breast cancer survivors commonly continue to use opioid pain killers after their cancer treatment is complete. A new Kaiser Permanente study shows that this can increase their risk of falls and bone fractures, lung problems, and cardiovascular conditions. The study was published in October 2024 in The Oncologist. A cancer epidemiologist partnered with a breast cancer survivor ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Heidi Brown
September 24, 2024Heidi Brown, MD, MAS, is a urogynecologist and a dissemination and implementation scientist who joined the Department of Research & Evaluation in August 2023. Her research focuses on improving access to effective solutions for pelvic floor disorders such as bladder and bowel incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. She uses community engagement, user-centered design, and iterative ...Read more...No increased risk associated with flu vaccines given in closely spaced pregnancies
September 19, 2024Monitoring of about 45,000 pregnant people receiving flu vaccines in each of 2 successive pregnancies showed no increased risk of side effects or health issues, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published September 19, 2024, in JAMA Network Open. “Our study’s findings support recommendations to give flu vaccinations to pregnant persons even if they received a ...Read more...Beta blockers not all the same for patients with heart failure and CKD
September 16, 2024A Kaiser Permanente Southern California study showed that 1 heart-failure medication worked best among the 3 most commonly used to prevent illness and disease among patients with chronic kidney disease and heart failure. “Beta blockers save lives in heart failure patients, but we wanted to see how this worked among patients who also had chronic kidney ...Read more...Gay men may be aging faster
September 13, 2024Gay men had shorter age-adjusted telomere length, which is a biomarker of aging, than straight men, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “While everyone ages at the same rate chronologically, studies have shown that we do not age at the same rate biologically,” said the lead author on ...Read more...High-dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines provided better protection for seniors
August 21, 2024High-dose and adjuvanted influenza (flu) vaccines boosted protection against flu symptoms and hospitalization for people 65 years and older during the 2022-2023 flu season compared to the standard flu vaccine. The study was published on August 21, 2024, in Clinical Infectious Diseases. “Our research showed that there were advantages for older people to receive high-dose or ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Robert Sallis
August 13, 2024Robert Sallis MD, FAAFP, FACSM, is a family medicine and sports medicine physician practicing at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center, where he serves as director of the sports medicine fellowship program. He is a clinical professor of Family Medicine at both the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and the University of ...Read more...Soda tax may impact children’s weight
July 31, 2024After 4 California cities began taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, young people in those cities had lower body mass index (BMI) compared to young people living in cities without the tax, a new study shows. “The findings of our study demonstrate that SSB (sugar-sweetened beverage) excise taxes may be associated with lower BMI percentile among youth,” said the ...Read more...Reduced death rates from colorectal cancer with FIT screening
July 26, 2024An analysis of Kaiser Permanente patients in California found a 33% reduced risk of dying from colorectal cancer among those completing at least one at-home fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening. The study was published in JAMA Network Open. In 2007, Kaiser Permanente Southern California began an organized colorectal cancer screening program that includes automated outreach with ...Read more...