Kaiser Permanente brings 200 jobs to Denver

The state’s job market will get a healthy boost in 2009 as Kaiser Permanente plans to bring a national customer service division to the region. It is anticipated that as many as 200 new positions could be available.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado, ranked by Colorado Parent Magazine as one of the top places to work, currently employs more than 5,200 staff, making it one of the largest health care employers in the region. Since 2003, the organization has experienced a 27 percent increase in job growth.

“The State of Colorado is thrilled to hear this great news from Kaiser Permanente, bringing even more jobs in to our state,” said Don Elliman, the Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. “With the addition of 200 more employees in Colorado, Kaiser Permanente will continue to be a leader in health care in our state.  This announcement is good for Colorado’s economy, good for our communities, and good for Kaiser Permanente as well.”

“We are very pleased that Kaiser Permanente has chosen to further invest its resources in the Metro Denver region by locating this new division here,” said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. “Kaiser is one of the region’s 10 largest private employers and its continued expansion here is significant news for the region’s economic growth.”
 
Currently located in Ft. Worth, TX, Kaiser Permanente’s Consolidated Service Center (CSC) will move a portion of operations to California and the remaining functions will relocate to Colorado. The CSC processes member enrollment, premium billing, collection and reconciliation for five Kaiser Permanente regions: Hawaii, Northwest, Colorado, Ohio and Georgia.

Colorado was selected as the new site for CSC operations following an analysis of several potential locations. Important factors influencing the final decision included leadership support to host the operations in Denver, a strong labor pool, central geographic location, and a large and growing Kaiser Permanente membership base in the state.

“We are very pleased that Colorado was selected for this relocation project,” said Donna Lynne, DrPH, president of Kaiser Permanente Colorado. “We are able to bring key service functions closer to our customers and are excited to offer the employees career advancement and professional development opportunities as they become part of a large health plan operation in our state.”

Kaiser Permanente leaders anticipate that the new Colorado-based CSC operation will be located in proximity to the health plan’s current regional headquarters in Denver. It is expected that some of the Ft. Worth employees will relocate to Colorado and other positions will be filled locally.

“We will work closely with the Ft. Worth team regarding the transition plans and expect to begin the phasing in of the operation in late 2008 or early 2009,” added Lynne.

For more information about jobs at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, visit kp.org.