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 ...
How low is too low? Study highlights serious risks for intensive blood pressure control
December 14, 2018Kaiser Permanente research published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found if patients with hypertension taking prescribed medications experience unusually low blood pressures — systolic blood pressure under 110mmHg — they are twice as likely to experience a fall or faint as patients whose treated blood pressure remains 110mmHg and above. This research is ...Read more...5 questions for Dr. Jean Lawrence
December 14, 2018We asked these 5 questions of Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, senior research scientist with the Department of Research & Evaluation in Southern California. Why did you choose to devote your career to researching ways women and children can live better, healthier lives? I’ve always been interested in women’s and children’s health and started my career working ...Read more...Mom’s diabetes could influence whether her child develops ADHD
October 30, 2018After previously finding strong associations between a mother’s diabetes and her child’s risk of developing autism, Anny Xiang, PhD, a researcher with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, decided to expand her work and look at other neurological development disorders. In a research article released today in Diabetes Care, she targeted attention deficit hyperactivity ...Read more...5 questions for Dr. Reina Haque
October 23, 2018Reina Haque, PhD, MPH, focuses on cancer epidemiology and survivorship at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. Her latest study, published recently in Ethnicity & Disease examined the risk of breast cancer recurrence in a diverse group of women who received care at Kaiser Permanente.Read more...Researcher studies why it can be hard to get moving
August 29, 2018Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, MBA, is director of Behavioral Research, Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research focuses on physical activity, including the associations between sedentary time and cardiovascular health. Her most recent research, which looked at the access to parks and young women’s physical activity, was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.Read more...Tdap vaccination for pregnant women does not increase risk of autism, study finds
August 13, 2018A Kaiser Permanente study of more than 80,000 children born over a 4-year period showed that the prenatal Tdap vaccination (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) was not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children. The study was published today in Pediatrics.Read more...Reducing opioids not associated with lower patient satisfaction
June 8, 2018A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 2,500 patients who used high doses of opioids for at least 6 months showed that reducing their opioid use did not lower their satisfaction with care. The study, “Satisfaction With Care After Reducing Opioids for Chronic Pain,” was published today in The American Journal of Managed Care. “Physicians are often concerned ...Read more...CT scan processing innovations could one day prevent broken bones
April 18, 2018Ordering CT scans is part of Dr. Shireen Fatemi’s daily job. As an endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City, she frequently orders the computed tomography scans to determine the cause of severe stomach aches, back pain, diverticulitis, or other ailments. New technology, though, may soon give those old CT scans a new life. It could one ...Read more...Transgender youth more often diagnosed with mental health conditions
April 16, 2018Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are diagnosed with mental health conditions much more frequently than young people who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth, according to new Kaiser Permanente research published today in Pediatrics. While this subject has been analyzed in small, specialized, clinic-based studies that rely on self-reported behavior problems, this large cohort ...Read more...Taking a “drug holiday” to avoid bone injuries
March 30, 2018Annette L. Adams, PhD, MPH, is committed to helping women avoid bone injuries that limit their mobility, and in some cases, end their lives. During her eight years as a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation, in Pasadena, California, Dr. Adams’s interest in osteoporosis has led her to investigate many aspects ...Read more...