Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — CenCal Health, the regional health plan for Medi-Cal, recognized the work of local network physicians and healthcare centers through their Primary Care Providers (PCP) Incentive Top Performer awards.
The awards acknowledge PCPs across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties who administer high quality healthcare while managing costs. There are four award categories: pediatrics, family practice, internal medicine, and federally-qualified health centers (FQHC). The awards are based on 2017 performance scores with the results announced in 2018.
In pediatrics, Dr. Himat Tank of Santa Maria earned top honors among his pediatrics peer group. Also recognized for their dedication to high quality care in 2017 is Dr. Jeffery Kaplan, whose practice is located in Santa Maria, and the Pediatric Medical Group of Santa Maria. “This community trusts us with their precious children’s lives,” said Dr. Tank. “We consider it a privilege to provide them care and assist their parents in helping them grow into mature adults.”
To ensure that providers like Dr. Tank continue to offer quality services and in turn manage costs, CenCal Health monitors their performance via monthly reports. Within these reports, eight categories are measured: physician/ outpatient expenses, inpatient hospital expenses, pharmacy expenses, emergency room visits, doctor and patient encounters, after hours visits, preventive medicine evaluations, and increased access to care for Medi-Cal members. The data included is not only valuable to the health plan but is considered a key resource for practices looking to improve their quality of care.
Lompoc Valley Medical Center (formally known as Valley Medical Group of Lompoc) was named the top performing family practice within both counties. Buellton Medical Center and Central Coast Medical Group also stood out among their peer set.
Orcutt Walk-In Health Center was named the top Internal Medicine performer within its provider group. Dr. Eric Levy of Santa Maria came in a close second and the Jackson Medical Group, located in Goleta, earned its spot as the third top performer.