Kaiser Permanente Colorado announced that its Medicare plan received five stars, the highest rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2012. Kaiser Permanente is the only health plan in Colorado to receive the overall 5- star rating for Parts C and D.

Through the Medicare Star Quality Rating System, CMS assigns scores of one to five stars to Medicare plans based on 50 quality measures across five categories that include staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service, and pharmacy services.

"Navigating the Medicare process can be challenging, but the Medicare Star Quality Ratings offer consumers an easy, unbiased resource to identify the highest quality health plans in their region," said Bill Wright, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Executive Medical Director. "These ratings also encourage health plans to improve care, leading to better patient experiences across the board. We encourage all Medicare beneficiaries to use the rating system as a guide to help them select a high-quality plan."

In addition to the high scores, Kaiser Permanente released survey findings revealing that consumers have a low awareness of the Medicare Star Quality Rating System. According to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive, only 18 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors said that they are familiar with the government's rating system, and of those that are familiar, less than one-third have used the system to select their health plan. The survey also showed that only 2 percent of respondents know how their current health plan is rated.