5 Things California: Cynthia Buiza, Plan-Provider Relations, Scott Christman

This is the last 5 Things newsletter you’ll get from me before our 2019 Los Angeles State of Reform Health Policy Conference on September 18th. And, because the topics we watch for this newsletter are also often the topics teed up at State of Reform, I wanted to feature a few of the panels we have ready for you in LA in two weeks!

You can still register at the regularly priced admission rates, if you already done so.  We’d love to have you with us and a few hundred of the smartest people in California health care… And, for the first 10 readers that want to use it, I’ve created a 20% discount code for new registrations: 5Things. Go ahead, and save you a few bucks…!

 

With help from Emily Boerger

 

 

1. Q&A with Cynthia Buiza, CIPC

Cynthia Buiza is the Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), where she leads the organization in its advocacy for immigrant rights. In this Q&A, she discusses her work at CIPC, the Trump Administration’s “public charge” rule, and health challenges facing immigrants in California.

Buiza will bring her knowledge and expertise to the 2019 LA State of Reform Health Policy Conference where she will participate on our “Why is California’s Uninsured Rate Going Up?” panel. Joining her will be Maria Lemus, Executive Director at Vision y Compromiso, and Richard Thomason, Director of Policy at Blue Shield of California Foundation.

 

2. A survey of county-led reforms

The range of diversity of reform efforts across California’s counties is broad. In two weeks’ time, our panel, “A Survey of County-Led Reforms,” will feature the leaders behind some of those initiatives, and will bring you up to speed on some of the more interesting stories of reform happening at the county level.

On this panel, we’ll hear from Dr. Clemens Hong, Director, Whole Person Care at the LA County Dept. of Health Services, Luke Bergmann, Director of Behavioral Health at the County of San Diego, and Dr. Michelle Schneidermann, Medical Director at Alameda Alliance for Health.

3. The evolution of plan-provider relations

The relationships between plans and providers have evolved in recent years, as reimbursement pressures, narrow networks, and public concerns over pricing have pressured the two parties to find new ways of working together. Our panel on the topic on Sept.18 will bring together three perspectives on the changing nature of these relationships.

Joining us are Demetria Malloy, MD, Senior Medical Director at Anthem Blue Cross, Sarah Summers, JD, CEO at California Physician Services Organization, California Medical Association, and Hector Flores, MD, Medical Director at the Family Care Specialists Medical Group. Come listen to these market leaders who are in the room during the tough conversations on this subject.

4. Video: Scott Christman, OSHPD

Scott Christman is the Deputy Director and CIO of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. He joins us in this edition of “What They’re Watching” to discuss collecting meaningful health care data.

“Stakeholder engagement is essential to the work because, you know, we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re investing public dollars to collect data for the sake of collecting data. It really needs to be driven by use cases, meaningful use cases, that again can help sort of shed light or provide transparency into issues around health care cost.”

 

5. Transformational leadership in health care

The demands of health care in 2019 require a different kind of leadership than previously. From technology to value-based care, our “Fostering Transformational Leadership in Health Care” panel will offer insights into what it takes to be a successful leader in today’s dynamic health care ecosystem.

Speaking on this panel are Andrew Jahn, President, Southern CA Region at Adventist Health, June Simmons, CEO of Partners in Care Foundation, and Dr. C. Freeman, President of the LA County Medical Association. Julie Elginer, DrPH, Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, will moderate the panel.