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 ...
Featured News
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 ...
Severe morning sickness associated with higher risk of autism
October 3, 2019Children whose mothers had hyperemesis gravidarum — a severe form of a morning sickness — during pregnancy were 53% more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to Kaiser Permanente research published in the American Journal of Perinatology. “This study is important because it suggests that children born to women with hyperemesis may be ...Read more...Five questions for Dr. Claudia Nau
October 3, 2019Investigator Claudia Nau, PhD, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, recently published a commentary on the role of predictive models in supporting a comprehensive national Kaiser Permanente social needs strategy. How do social needs affect health? Social needs include things such as whether people have time and money to buy and ...Read more...National ACE conference draws health researchers to Pasadena
October 3, 2019Speakers gave epidemiologists the tools and inspiration to turn data into research with an impact on clinical practice during the 2019 American College of Epidemiology Annual Meeting, which was hosted by Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. “The conference was a great success,” said Russell S. Kirby, PhD, MS, of the College of ...Read more...Online physician ratings may not be accurate
September 17, 2019The physician ratings that patients see online may be inaccurate when compared to ratings compiled from surveys conducted internally by health care organizations, according to new research published today (Sept. 17, 2019) in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. “We know that patients often rely on online ratings when choosing doctors,” said Kanu Okike, MD, MPH, ...Read more...Dr. Steven Jacobsen of Kaiser Permanente elected president-elect of the American College of Epidemiology
September 10, 2019The Senior Director of Research for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Steven J. Jacobsen, MD, PhD, has been elected by his peers to the office of president-elect of the American College of Epidemiology (ACE) for the 2020 membership year. He will assume the College’s presidency in 2021. The election results were announced today (Sept. 10, 2019) at ...Read more...Maternal diabetes and risk for children
August 2, 2019One way researchers at Kaiser Permanente work to make our next generation healthier is by studying children’s environments before birth. Recently several researchers looked at how mothers’ bodies manage sugar—including the type of diabetes that develops in pregnancy, called gestational diabetes—affected their children’s risk for diabetes, overweight/obesity, and cognitive impairment. Researchers at the Department of Research & ...Read more...End-of-life: Researchers seek to learn needs of sickest patients
August 2, 2019Researchers at the Department of Research & Evaluation are working to make the final life transitions better for patients and their families. Using analytical analysis, interviews, data queries and more, they aim to find out what people want in their final months and days, and how to improve care during that time. “The goal of medicine ...Read more...Tackling a deadly regional disease: Valley fever
August 2, 2019Over the years, the Department of Research & Evaluation’s Division of Clinical Trials Research has tackled some of the most serious infectious diseases facing Americans, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Recently, the clinical trials team and epidemiologists targeted a deadly regional disease: Valley fever. Also known as coccidioidomycosis, Valley fever is a respiratory disease caused by ...Read more...Addressing the social needs of patients
August 2, 2019There is a growing awareness in the health care community that treating a patient’s medical symptoms may not be enough. Their social situation may be the true impediment to a cure. But how does a doctor house the homeless veteran, feed the hungry child, or end loneliness for the aging widower? Right now, investigators at Kaiser Permanente ...Read more...Researchers and physicians work together to stem the opioid crisis
August 2, 2019Research is integral to Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s robust program to reduce opioid prescriptions and overdoses. In fact, scientists in 2 of the Department of Research & Evaluation’s scientific divisions are separately pursuing active studies with multiple clinical partners. “We are working to provide evidence to … identify the best strategies to tackle this epidemic,” said ...Read more...