Kaiser Permanente plans to open the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in the fall of 2019.

The school extends the innovation of the Kaiser Permanente approach to patient health and care, by redesigning physician education around strategic pillars that include providing high-quality care beyond traditional medical settings, acknowledging the central importance of collaboration and teamwork to inform treatment decisions, and addressing disparities in health, according to a release.

“Opening a medical school and influencing physician education is based on our belief that the new models of care mean we must reimagine how physicians are trained,” said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. “Training a new generation of physicians to deliver on the promise of health and healthcare demonstrates our belief that our model of care is best for the current and future diverse populations in this country.”

“When fully realized, the school will enhance the healthcare provided nationwide and beyond as the newly graduated physicians bring to bear their training and knowledge wherever they choose to practice,” said Edward M. Ellison, MD, a national Permanente leader, an executive sponsor for the School of Medicine, and executive medical director, Southern California Permanente Medical Group. “Kaiser Permanente has been a catalyst for change in care delivery, and we will be a catalyst in medical education, through the opening of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine.”

The creation of the school also advances work the organization already does in physician education—with more than 600 new physicians currently completing their residency programs at Kaiser Permanente, and several thousand more from 50 affiliated programs who complete a portion of their training at Kaiser Permanente each year.

In the coming months, the organization will move to establish the legal entity and organizational structure for the new medical school and begin the accreditation planning and process. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019 and will be located in Southern California.