Can the Agency integrate a business for profit model and be run more like the private sector?
We have sought to run our clinics like a business, but a private business would be unlikely to serve this population. Otherwise there would be numerous private clinics serving Medi-Cal and the uninsured competing for this population. A private clinic it wouldn’t turn a profit unless it altered the payer mix (increased commercial insurance and reduced or eliminated Medi-Cal) and substantially reduced salaries and benefits for employees. The private medical community may perceive that we are competing against them when we accept commercial insurance instead of Medi-Cal.
