Physician Executive Farid Hassanpour Joins Health Plan on Central Coast
Courtesy photo.
CENTRAL COAST — CenCal Health, the publicly-sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, announces the appointment of Farid Hassanpour, D.O., M.B.A., F.A.A.P. to its key leadership position of Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Hassanpour will provide medical leadership to the organization by ensuring medical quality and adherence to professional and ethical medical standards by the health plan and its network of providers.
Hassanpour was most recently the Chief Medical Director at Health Net and California Health & Wellness, both headquartered in Woodland Hills. Prior to this experience, he was Medical Director at Anthem Blue Cross.
Hassanpour received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his medical degree from Des Moines University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences. His internship and residency training were accomplished at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He also holds an MBA degree with a concentration in Healthcare Management from the Graduate School of Management at UCI.
In addition to the CMO appointment, CenCal Health announced that Dr. Karen Hord has accepted the position of Deputy Chief Medical Officer. Hord had most recently served as Interim Chief Medical Officer at CenCal Health.
“I’m confident that with this new clinical leadership team now in place, the health plan is poised to make great strides in 2020,” said Bob Freeman, CenCal Health CEO.
About CenCal Health: CenCal Health’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities it serves by providing access to high quality health services, along with education and outreach, for our membership. As a public entity, CenCal Health is a community-accountable health plan partnering with over 1,500 local physicians, hospitals and other providers in delivering exceptional patient care to more than 175,000 members – about one in four residents of Santa Barbara County and one in five residents of San Luis Obispo County. Established in 1983, it is the oldest managed Medicaid plan of its kind in the nation. CenCal Health employs close to 250 people at offices in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and contributes approximately $50 million a month into the local economy, primarily through payments to healthcare providers who serve our membership. cencalhealth.org