The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group is the nation's leading group of doctors. With more than 1,700 physicians, we are the largest, coordinated physician group in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Our award-winning Permanente Medicine physicians care exclusively for patients insured by Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. Our health care system is called Kaiser Permanente.    

Permanente Medicine physicians produce better health outcomes because unlike other health systems in the United States:

• We are built and led by physicians
• Our doctors earn competitive salaries, instead of fees for each individual service they perform  
• We are focused on our patients' long-term health, which means we focus on preventing, diagnosing and treating disease most effectively
• Our board-certified physicians possess expertise across more than 50 specialties and work together, armed with the nation's most comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) so your entire team of doctors is always up-to-date with a full picture of your health

How We Work Together

Permanente Medicine is led by physicians who work independently from the Kaiser Foundation insurance company. The Kaiser insurance company pays the Permanente Medical Group upfront to take care of patients, and then leaves medical decisions to the doctors. Unlike most doctors in the United States healthcare system, Permanente doctors never need to wait for insurance company authorizations before sending patients for tests or beginning treatment plans.

How We Work for Our Patients

Most doctors in the United States are reimbursed by insurance companies for each treatment they provide. This model often traps the doctors in a tug of war between personal financial gain and what's in the best interest of the patient; the more the doctor 'does' to a patient, whether necessary or unnecessary, the more money the doctor receives.

Our physicians are prepaid for each patient they care for. In our system, doctors are under no pressure to do too much or too little. If a patient doesn't need surgery, a Permanente Medicine physician will not recommend surgery.  If a patient has a medical issue they would like to address with their doctor over email or by phone, the Permanente Medicine physician will do so. In most of the United States healthcare system, doctors are financially pressured to ask the patients to come in for an office visit, even if the issue could be handled by phone or email.  

Why We Offer the Best Medicine

Permanente Medicine is designed to help patients live their healthiest possible lives. Permanente Medicine doctors excel at delivering the best care to patients, and the results are clear: awards from national quality rating organizations, high patient satisfaction scores and, most importantly, better outcomes for patients that result in healthier, longer lives.