Bernard Tyson

Bernard J. Tyson, the chairman and chief executive of Kaiser Permanente, the large and influential California health care organization that many view as a model for the rest of the country, died on Sunday November 10 2019. He was 60. Mr. Tyson had worked for Kaiser Permanente, which is based in Oakland, for more than three decades, beginning in the medical records department. He later became a hospital administrator and held a series of executive posts with the company until being named chief executive in 2013 and chairman the year after that. As one of the nation’s most influential health care executives, Mr. Tyson was outspoken about bringing down health-care costs and moving away from the current system that pays hospitals and doctors more when they provide more care, regardless of how much a patient may need it. As Kaiser’s first African-American chief executive, Mr. Tyson used his position to call attention to racial issues. Bernard James Tyson was born on Jan. 20, 1959, in Vallejo, Calif., one of seven children of Moses and Billie Tyson. His father was a carpenter as well as being a part-time minister. After graduating from Vallejo High School in 1977, Mr. Tyson attended Golden Gate University in San Francisco, receiving a bachelor’s degree in health service management in 1982. While pursuing his studies he worked for a time as an administrative analyst for Vallejo General Hospital. He went on to earn a master’s in business administration at Golden Gate in 1984. He joined Kaiser in 1987. Mr. Tyson is survived by his wife, Denise Bradley-Tyson, and three sons, Bernard Jr., Alexander and Charles.