Affiliation Will Allow Groups to Drive High-Value Care and Innovation
Oregon-based Northwest Permanente (NWP) and The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) of Northern California announced a formal affiliation today. NWP and TPMG are physician-led, independent Permanente Medical Groups who partner exclusively with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to provide care for their patients in Oregon, southwest Washington, and Northern California.
The affiliation between NWP and TPMG strengthens the commitment to high-value, quality-driven care for their patients and communities. Both groups have a shared mission of delivering high-quality, cost-efficient care that achieves superior clinical outcomes. By collaborating clinically, sharing innovations, and supporting physicians and staff, NWP will improve quality of care.
According to Leong Koh, MD, executive medical director of Northwest Permanente, the healthcare industry is undergoing massive change. “Consolidation of hospitals, medical groups, and health plans are occurring throughout the United States,” said Dr. Koh. “Most transactions are largely focused on size, scale, and finance. What is different and exciting about our affiliation is our shared belief in value-based care. Both of our groups have walked the walk and have achieved superior and equitable patient outcomes, created fulfilling environments to practice medicine, and committed to managing the costs associated with care.”
Following the affiliation, Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group and president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG), assumed the role of CEO of Northwest Permanente.
“Innovations and performance accelerate when like-minded physicians come together,” said Dr. Ansari. “Maintaining the independence to practice the medicine we believe in is truly the promise of Permanente Medicine. Through this affiliation, we will bring cutting-edge IT, virtual care capabilities, and more than 100 specialties and subspecialties to benefit the patients and communities of Oregon and southwest Washington.”
NWP is the largest independent multispecialty medical group in Oregon and southwest Washington, with an 80-year history of strong performance and growth in the community. Its more than 1,300 physicians span 54 specialties and provide care for more than 612,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the region.
TPMG comprises nearly 10,000 physicians in 116 specialties, providing care for 4.6 million members in California. Kaiser Permanente in Northern California received 4.5 stars out of a maximum 5 in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2025 Star Ratings; for the seventh straight year Kaiser Permanente received 5 out of 5 stars in the 2024 Covered California Health Plan Summary Quality Rating; and for the ninth year in a row its Medicare and Commercial plans in California were the highest-rated in the state by the National Committee for Quality Assurance in 2024.
Since 2009, TPMG has been affiliated with Maryland-based MAPMG, which comprises nearly 1,800 physicians in 60 specialties, providing care for 768,000+ Kaiser Permanente members in the region.
The affiliation transaction was approved by the Oregon Health Authority’s Healthcare Market Oversight Program (HCMO) on April 11, 2025.
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