Top Physicians, Clinics and Medical Groups Are Being Recognized in a Virtual Celebration
LOS ANGELES – The COVID-19 pandemic continues to put overwhelming stress on health care workers across the country, with some facing burnout or even retiring. L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan, understands the unprecedented pressure and appreciates all providers who have risen to the challenge to provide excellent care for its members. Next week, the health plan is honoring its top providers with a social media celebration and billboards in recognition of their accomplishments.
“This is the fourth year of L.A. Care’s Provider Recognition Awards, and the awardees have certainly earned these honors as the pandemic stretched beyond what anyone could have imagined,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “We are so grateful for the commitment these providers have shown to serving our members who live in some of the most vulnerable communities in L.A. County – communities hit hardest by COVID-19.”
L.A. Care is recognizing practitioners, clinics and medical groups in a variety of categories. And, for the first time, the health plan is awarding a Provider Equity Award. L.A. Care created the award to honor health care organizations that are working to reduce health disparities in underserved communities, advancing the health plan’s commitment to providing equitable care to its members. This inaugural award is going to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) for a program that addresses food insecurity and another that works to reduce high blood pressure, an L.A. Care priority health outcome measure.
“This award came at such a pivotal time and exemplifies the heart and mission of the organization and our team members,” said Charmaine Dorsey, LCSW, Director of Patient and Social Support Services, L.A. County DHS. ”Even in the midst of all the challenges of the last couple of years, our staff has been striving to do this incredible work serving the community, and we thank L.A. Care for recognizing that work.”
Agnes Bahng, MD, an internist practicing in Reseda, was named the 2021 Top Practitioner in the L.A. Care Direct Network, which is made up of physicians who contract directly with the health plan, rather than the through a medical group. She says the honor gave her a sense of validation that her commitment to providing high quality care has paid off, especially in these challenging times.
“The biggest challenge has been patient attitudes toward the pandemic. We have patients who believe in the vaccines, masking and social distancing, and we also have patients who don’t,” said Bahng. “The most I can do is talk about the evidence and the history of how vaccines have helped eradicate diseases in the past. I do my best to debunk any of the myths going around.“
The 2021 Top Practitioner awardees are:
- Agnes Bahng, MD – L.A. Care Direct Network
- Jacklyn Chan, MD – Pediatric Care
- Narciso Azurin, MD – Women’s Health
- Henry Chang, MD – Adult Care
Among the clinics being honored is White Memorial Community Health Center. The clinic is receiving the Top Performing Clinic Award for Pediatric Care.
“At the start of the pandemic, everyone pulled together, from physicians to the screeners at the entrance of the clinic, and when you do that, you have success,” said Grace Floutsis, CEO and CMO. “Also, we put together a very strong QI program with the help of an L.A. Care grant that allowed us to hire a clinical quality champion. Thanks to the work we did in 2018 and 2019, we were already hardwired and poised to do good work when the pandemic hit, and we kept our focus, despite the uncertainty and the constant changes in workflow.”
The 2021 Top Performing Clinic awardees are:
- White Memorial Community Health Center – Pediatric Care
- Eisner Health – Women’s Health
- Queenscare Health Centers – Adult Care
This year, we are dividing our medical groups that serve L.A. Care Medi-Cal members into two groups based on the number of members they serve.
The 2021 Top Performing Independent Physician Association (IPA) awardees are:
- PMA/Axminster Medical Group – L.A. Care’s Medi-Cal product (Large Group IPA)
- All Care Medical Group – L.A. Care’s Medi-Cal product (Small Group IPA)
- PIH Health Physicians– L.A. Care’s Cal MediConnect product
- High Desert Medical Group – L.A. Care Covered product
The practitioner, clinic and IPA awardees were chosen based on an internal performance rating system used by L.A. Care to determine quality of care being provided for members. The Health Equity award winner was chosen for its performance on health equity efforts, including health disparities and addressing social determinants of health.
To join the weeklong social media celebration of L.A. Care’s 2021 Top Providers, starting Monday, March 7, please see the health plan’s various social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube.