L.A. Care CEO Receives Excellence in Health Care Award from the Los Angeles Business Journal

John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO, Received Excellence in Health Care Award

John Baackes Also Participated on a Panel on the State of Health Care

The Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ) hosted its 2024 Health Care Leadership Awards yesterday to recognize the accomplishments of individuals and organizations that are making great strides in providing better quality health care in Los Angeles. John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, was awarded the Excellence in Health Care Award for his outstanding leadership of the largest health plan in Los Angeles County since March of 2015. The award also recognized his community impact. Baackes believes that health care is more than a plastic card in your wallet, and that’s why under his leadership, L.A. Care has committed hundreds of millions to build healthy communities, by investing in organizations and projects that address the non-medical factors that can significantly impact health outcomes.

Before the awards were announced, LABJ hosted a panel on the state of health care in 2024. Baackes shared his thoughts on the biggest challenges for Medi-Cal and its beneficiaries. He explained how low reimbursement rates for Medi-Cal providers makes it difficult for safety net clinics and practices to recruit new physicians. He spoke about a coalition he brought together to convince lawmakers to reinstate the MCO tax and dedicate the funding to higher Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.

Baackes also spoke about the state’s new initiative to advance Medi-Cal, which allows health plans to pay for non-clinical services that affect health outcomes. This includes help with things like housing navigation and medically tailored meals.

The other panelists were:
•    George Greene, Esq., President & CEO, Hospital Association of Southern California
•    Rod Hanners, CEO, Keck Medicine of USC
•    Johnese Spisso, President, UCLA Health; CEO, UCLA Hospital System; Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences
•    Paul Viviano, President & CEO, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles