CenCal Health, the publicly sponsored health plan for Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, has named Karen S. Kim J.D., MPH to the position of general legal counsel.
Kim will be responsible for providing and managing the legal services for CenCal Health, including serving as legal counsel to the board of directors.
Kim has more than 15 years of health care law experience, with an emphasis on Medi-Cal, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, as well as contract law and public law.
“We’re excited to have someone with such knowledge, expertise and experience join our leadership team,” CenCal Health CEO Bob Freeman said. “Ms. Kim brings a very strong legal foundation that will greatly aid the organization as we move forward in addressing our area’s health care challenges.”
Kim comes to CenCal Health from the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, Calif., where she was the compliance officer and director of risk management.
Prior to that, Kim was with L.A. Care Health Plan in Los Angeles – the largest publicly operated health plan in the United States. At L.A. Care, she had roles in the Enterprise Integration Department and Legal Services Department.
Kim holds a juris doctor degree from Loyola Law School and has a master’s degree in public health and health policy from UCLA.
She has served in leadership roles for Women in Health Administration of Southern California and the California Health Care Foundation. Kim is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association, Health Law section.
She is a sought-after public speaker on the subject of health care and compliance.
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 more than 1,500 local physicians, hospitals and other providers in delivering exceptional patient care to more than 175,000 members.
CenCal serves 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 employs close to 250 people at offices in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and contributes approximately $50 million a month into the local economy, primarily through payments to health care providers who serve our membership.