A Message from John Baackes, Chief Executive Officer
When I first arrived at L.A. Care in early 2015, it was with an open mind. I was excited about joining an organization known for its unique mission of serving the most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles County. As the largest health plan in Los Angeles County and the largest publicly operated plan in the country, I felt L.A. Care offered a unique platform to bring meaningful improvements to the health of thousands of county residents.
I came with several important questions that I felt as the new CEO it was important for me to find the answers to: "How can we add value to our members and providers? How can we best serve Los Angeles County? How can we make the biggest impact possible? How can we best manage the tremendous growth L.A. Care has experienced over the past three years?"
Within the first few months of talking to our employees, our members and our stakeholders, I quickly realized that together, they combine to make a unique and powerful asset as we move forward. It also became clear that we needed to establish a new strategic vision for the future of L.A. Care outlining where we are going and how we are going to get there.
With a cross-departmental team of support, we built four pillars that will serve as the foundation for our work while helping us simplify processes, make data-driven decisions and drive efficiency and excellence. We are exploring ways to provide whole-person care by assessing our members’ physical, behavioral and social needs, not just their medical needs. We are also actively seeking opportunities for how L.A. Care can contribute to improved health outcomes for every L.A. County resident - to make an important contribution to building a healthier L.A.
2015 has been another year of tremendous member, provider and employee growth. I believe it has set the foundation for what I know will be an exciting evolution in how L.A. Care fulfills our mission to provide access to the highest quality health care for all of Los Angeles County. My thanks go out to L.A. Care staff, our members, our providers and our many stakeholders for your support during this past year. I look forward to continuing our successful partnerships.