George Halvorson, chairman and CEO, credited with leading the decision to implement an enterprise-wide electronic health record system that’s often touted as a model, will retire in Dec. 2013. He has served as Kaiser’s chairman and CEO since 2002. Halvorson announced his retirement to his employees on Oct. 4.

Under his leadership, Kaiser Permanente has grown to serve more than 9 million members, has introduced its own electronic health record system, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect, touted as the largest non-governmental system in the world, supporting the transformation of care delivery and connecting caregivers and patients in new and innovative ways.

In the first six months of 2012, for example, members securely viewed 16.7 million laboratory results, exchanged 6.8 million emails with their Kaiser Permanente caregivers and refilled 5.6 million prescriptions online.

"Kaiser Permanente has been a great place to work for me," said Halvorson. "I have very much enjoyed the last decade. We have done a lot of good things, and we continue to make progress in a lot of areas."

Halvorson announced his retirement now – a full year prior to his departure – to ensure an effective transition to his successor, he said. The Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan board of directors will now go through a process that will result in the selection of a successor as chair and CEO.

In a news release announcing Halvorson’s retirement, Kaiser Permanente listed honors during Halvorson’s tenure.

• Earning top ranking in the 2012-2013 National Committee for Quality Assurance Health Insurance rankings for Medicare and commercial HMO plans in each of the states Kaiser Permanente serves.
• Leading the nation in many NCQA Quality Compass effectiveness of care measures, including breast cancer screening, weight assessment for children, cholesterol management, asthma care, osteoporosis management and comprehensive diabetes care.
• Having 20 Kaiser Permanente hospitals recognized as "Top Performers on Key Quality Measures" for 2011 performance by The Joint Commission.
• Receiving five-star ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for five Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans in 2012.
• Being ranked highest by J.D. Power and Associates for employer satisfaction nationwide, and five regions ranked highest in member satisfaction.

In the last decade, Kaiser Permanente has opened seven new state-of-the-art hospitals and 180 medical offices and other outpatient facilities, as well as The Sidney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center in San Leandro, Calif. and the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Halvorson championed public health efforts designed to improve the health of Kaiser Permanente members and the communities it serves. In 2011, the organization launched Every Body Walk! to inspire the nation to experience the health benefits of walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week. In 2012, Kaiser Permanente also joined with HBO, Institute of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to launch a national public health campaign to address the nation's rising obesity rates that includes the two-time Emmy nominated documentary series The Weight of the Nation.

Halvorson serves on the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Health Care, the IOM Task Force on Making America a Learning Health Care Organization, the American Hospital Association's Advisory Committee on Health Reform, the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High-Performance Health System, and the New America Foundation Leadership Council. He serves on the boards of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the Alliance of Community Health Plans. Halvorson chairs the International Federation of Health Plans and co-chaired the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care for 2010. He is the 2012 social media chair for the Global Health Policy Forum. In 2009, he chaired the World Economic Forum's Health Governors meetings in Davos, Switzerland.

Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Halvorson was president and chief executive officer of HealthPartners, headquartered in Minneapolis, for nearly 18 years. With more than 30 years of healthcare management experience, he has also held several senior management positions with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and Health Accord International.