2024 Southern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference

The Networking Breakfast will take place before the start of the conference to allow attendees to grab light refreshments and connect with their fellow colleagues before we kick things off for the day.

To start the day, join us for a conversation with John Baackes, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan. Baackes—who is retiring from his longtime position leading the health plan at the end of the year—will discuss the work his organization is doing to improve health policy in the region, as well as his overall outlook for California healthcare heading into the future.

John Baackes: Chief Executive Officer, L.A. Care Health Plan

Join experts as they discuss the long-term sustainability of the Medi-Cal system. CalAIM has substantially expanded benefits and coverage to Californians, but many residents remain without coverage despite these widescale Medi-Cal reforms. With the upcoming expiration of the CalAIM waiver, what needs to be done for California to ensure the accessibility of coverage and benefits for all its residents?

Mark Gamble: Chief of Advocacy & Operations, Hospital Association of Southern California

Louise McCarthy, MPP: President & Chief Executive Officer, Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County

Dorothy Seleski: Senior Vice President, Medi-Cal Product, Health Net

Michael Engelhard, MBA: Managing Director, Local & Regional Managed Care Organizations, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Join this panel for an update from a diverse group of stakeholders on the status of the CalAIM rollout. Panelists will discuss what CalAIM implementation looks like on the ground in Southern California for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), safety-net providers, community-based organizations (CBOs) and the evolving role of Enhanced Care Management (ECM) providers. Panelists will examine the positives and negatives of the program’s implementation and measure its overall impact on the region’s healthcare system.

Christine Bae, LCSW, MPH: Chief Program Officer, Sycamores

Linda Henderson-Smith, PhD: Senior Product Management Director, Carelon Behavioral Health

Kristin Malka, LMFT: Deputy Director, Behavioral Health Services, Penny Lane Centers

Nancy Wongvipat Kalev, MPH: Senior Director, Systems of Care, Health Net

Elvia Delgado, MBA: Principal & CalAIM Program Director, Health Management Associates (moderator)

This panel will discuss the work being done to develop and enhance the workforce pipeline of healthcare workers. Hear about impactful regional efforts including the California Endowment’s investment in regional workforce collaboratives. Panelists will also speak about the work being done to educate the next generation of healthcare workers and alleviate the ongoing workforce shortage.

Angelica Alvarez, MS: Program Director, El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center

David M. Carlisle, MD, PhD: President & Chief Executive Officer, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science

Jeffrey Oxendine, MPH, MBA: Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Co-Director; Health Career Connection, California Health Professions Consortium

Paula Pompa-Craven, PsyD: Chief Clinical Officer, Easterseals

Susan Arcidiacono, MBA: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

As California’s healthcare system grows more complex, questions on how to improve interoperability remain. Join this session to hear from experts about the challenges with interoperability, current and proposed solutions and how those impact providers, plans, and community-based organizations (CBOs). Panelists will discuss the evergreen landscape for interoperability and then talk about what steps need to be taken to achieve that vision. What data exchange frameworks are in place and what future changes are needed for a statewide system?

Mahima Ashok, PhD: Senior Director of Health Data Strategy & Measurement, Blue Shield of California

Tara Brickey: Business Change Director, Anthem Blue Cross

Ali Modaressi: Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services (LANES)

John Ohanian: Director & Chief Data Officer, CalHHS Center for Data Insights & Innovation

Marcel Loh, FACHE: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

As technology evolves at a rapid pace, California’s healthcare system is exploring ways to keep up with technological innovation. Join this panel as they discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on our healthcare system. How is AI currently being used in healthcare and how does it align with current regulations? Panelists will discuss how AI is impacting the healthcare market and how it can be used or abused when it comes to clinical decision–making.

David Atashroo, MD: Chief Medical Officer, Qventus, Inc.

Trey Sutten: Chief Executive Officer, Siftwell

Laura Tully, PhD: Vice President, Clinical Integrations & Partnerships, Kooth Digital Health

Carter Kimble, MPH: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

In this session, panelists will discuss current trends in healthcare costs, the impact of policies, economics and state programs on these cost trends, and healthcare cost management strategies.  Speakers will provide an overview of California cost trends, as measured by the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA). You’ll also hear the hospital and physician group perspectives on cost containment. Other topics of focus will include the Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax, state programs, and physician-driven organizations’ role in improving care and managing the total cost of care for populations.

Jim Brown, MBA, MPH: President & Chief Executive Officer, Prospect Medical

Ben Johnson: Vice President, Policy, California Hospital Association

Jeffrey Rideout, MD, MA: Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Healthcare Association

Dan Rhodes: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Join this group of leaders for a conversation about the evolving work of care coordination in Southern California and its overall role in improving population health. Panelists will discuss how efforts such as the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and Enhanced Care Management (ECM) are driving care coordination forward. Speakers will also dive into how health-related social needs (HRSNs) are increasingly being brought into the overall vision of healthcare and evaluate the region’s progress in providing comprehensive whole–person care.

Glenda Rivers, LMFT: Enhanced Care Management Program Director, Didi Hirsch

Alison Steinbacher, MPH: Senior Customer Success Manager, findhelp

Thomas Tran: Director, Strategic Partnerships, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan

Laura Collins, MSW, LICSW: Managing Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

California has the largest proportion and the highest number of births in the US, representing about one out of every eight births in the nation. Medi-Cal covers approximately 41% of those births. While the state has made significant and positive trends through Medi-Cal coverage, significant disparities in birth outcomes persist. California recently added doula services as a covered benefit and expanded enhanced care management and community supports coverage for the birth equity populations of focus to address disparities. This panel will discuss emerging successful strategies to translate these policies and programs into services for families, as well as the lessons learned and how to scale these strategies.

Antoinette Andrews-Bush, PhD: Founder & Principal Consultant, Andrews Bush & Associates, LLC

Helen O’Connor, MSPH, MA, LES: Perinatal Innovation Unit Chief, Division of Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health, Health Promotion Bureau, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Brandi Desjolais, EdD: Co-Founder & Director, Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science

Khefri Riley, CLEC, CPYT, HCHD: Co-Founder & Director, Frontline Doulas; Director of Impact & Development, LA County Medi-Cal Doula Hub

Helen DuPlessis, MD, MPH: Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

While D-SNP services haven’t yet been fully implemented across California, the Southern California region has begun implementation and can serve as a model for the rest of the state. Hear about how experts are connecting D-SNP-eligible patients to community supports and how other entities impact outcomes.  Join panelists as they talk about the propagation of PACE programs and the impact of all-inclusive elderly care.

Athena Chapman, MPP: President, Chapman Consulting

Patty Gonzalez: Vice President, Network Management & Provider Partnerships, Blue Shield of California

Javier Sanchez: Executive Director, Medicare Programs, CalOptima

Don Novo: Managing Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

With the recent passage of Proposition 1, we’ve convened this group of California experts and advocates to discuss its significance. Panelists will discuss possible implications on the behavioral health landscape and consider relevant risks and opportunities to accessing to care. When and how might Californians see changes to the system? What impact might it have on behavioral health workforce needs? What might be needed to mitigate risks and maximize opportunities?

Luke Bergmann: Director, Behavioral Health, San Diego County

Michelle Doty Cabrera: Executive Director, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California

Chad Costello, MSW, CPRP: Executive Director, California Association of Social Rehabilitation

Tara Gamboa-Eastman, MPP: Director of Government Affairs, Steinberg Institute

Nicholas Williams, MPP: Associate Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Join us as we end the day by hearing from three influential health plan leaders about their perspectives on various challenges in Southern California’s Medi-Cal space. Michael Hunn, Chief Executive Officer of Cal Optima, Jarrod McNaughton, Chief Executive Officer of Inland Empire Health Plan, and Martha Santana Chin, Medi-Cal and Medicare President at Health Net, will engage in a solution-oriented discussion about their experience with CalAIM rollout, innovative approaches their organizations are taking to reforming healthcare in the region, and more.

Michael Hunn: Chief Executive Officer, CalOptima

Jarrod McNaughton: Chief Executive Officer, Inland Empire Health Plan

Martha Santana-Chin: Medi-Cal & Medicare President, Health Net

Margaret Tatar, JD: Vice President, Client Solutions, Health Management Associates (moderator)