Several Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) faculty members and a recent graduate have been recognized along with their team of Kaiser Permanente physician researchers in Southern California with a prestigious UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award for their innovative SureNet Statin Start program.
The SureNet Statin Start program has grown to encompass more than 70 vital initiatives aimed at bridging gaps in patient care. It specifically addresses the critical issue of statin initiation among patients with very high cholesterol levels by using electronic health record-directed algorithms to improve the management of patients with high low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels.
The study which led to the award, “Safety Net Program to Improve Statin Initiation Among Adults With High Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol,” was published by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. The senior investigator and senior author of the study was KPSOM faculty member Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, FAHA, FACE, Professor of Health Systems Science. KPSOM coauthors of the study include Hui Zhou, PhD, MS, KPSOM Assistant Professor of Health Systems Science, Michael Kanter, MD, CPPS, KPSOM Chair and Professor of Clinical Science, and Mark Sanders, MD, KPSOM Class of 2024 graduate.
Published in April 2023, the SureNet program evaluation showed strong improvement in receipt of high-intensity statin orders among those who needed them most. Some key findings regarding Statin Start patients include:
- They were 32% more likely to fill their statin prescriptions.
- They were 41% more likely to complete necessary follow-up lab tests.
- They were 21% more likely to lower their LDL cholesterol.
Read about the 2024 UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Awards here .
Read the study here .
Learn more about the SureNet program on the Kaiser Permanente website.
