Your primary care provider (PCP) is the licensed provider you go to for most of your health care. Your PCP also helps you get other types of care you need. You must choose a PCP within 30 days of enrolling in L.A. Care.
Depending on your age and sex, you can choose a:
- general practitioner,
- OB/GYN,
- family practitioner,
- internist or
- pediatrician
as your PCP. Also,
- A nurse practitioner (NP),
- physician assistant (PA) or
- certified nurse midwife
can also act as your PCP. If you choose an NP, PA or certified nurse midwife, you may be assigned a doctor to oversee your care. If you are in both Medicare and Medi-Cal, or if you have other comprehensive health care insurance, you do not have to choose a PCP.
You can choose an:
- Indian Health Care Provider (IHCP),
- Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
- or Rural Health Clinic (RHC)
as your PCP. Depending on the type of provider, you might be able to choose one PCP for your entire family who are members of L.A. Care, as long as the PCP is available.
Note: American Indians may choose an IHCP as their PCP, even if the IHCP is not in the L.A. Care network.
If you do not choose a PCP within 30 days of enrollment, L.A. Care will assign you to a PCP. If you are assigned to a PCP and want to change, call L.A. Care Member Services at 1-888-839-9909 (TTY: 711). The change happens the first day of the next month.
Your PCP will:
- Get to know your health history and needs
- Keep your health records
- Give you the preventive and routine health care you need
- Refer (send) you to a specialist if you need one
- Arrange for hospital care if you need it
You can look in the online Provider Directory to find a PCP in the L.A. Care network. The Provider Directory has a list of IHCPs, FQHCs, and RHCs that work with L.A. Care.
You can download a copy of the L.A. Care Provider Directory from the Medi-Cal Member Materials page.
You can request a Provider Directory to be mailed to you by calling L.A. Care Member Services 1-888-839-9909 (TTY: 711).