LOS ANGELES, Calif. (January 26, 2022) – Advisory Board recently announced Family Care Specialists Medical Group (FCS) as the winner of its Innovation Showcase: Strategies to Advance Diversity. FCS will use the $10,000 award to support its extensive healthcare workforce development programs that are designed to advance diversity, ensure placement of residency graduates in underserved areas and build future leaders in healthcare.
Since its founding, FCS has focused on developing programs to increase and diversify the number of physicians in underserved communities to meet patient needs. Beginning in 1988, FCS adopted a strategy for the evaluation of the social determinants of health among children and youth in its practice, established a minority health professions pipeline for college-aged students and co-sponsored a high school-to-residency-to-medical practice pathway mentoring program that broadcasts academic enrichment through social media.
Additionally, they have partnered with Adventist Health White Memorial on a family medicine residency program to train family physicians aspiring to work in medically underserved areas. To date, the residency program has graduated 226 family medicine physicians, 70% of whom practice in underserved areas, with 42 in the FCS-Adventist service area. Of those who graduated from the program, 65% are from under-represented minorities and 30% hold leadership positions in the healthcare sector.
“In 1988, East L.A. was a state-designated ‘Critical Health Professions Shortage Area,’ with only one board-certified family physician in practice. Only 8% of all physicians in the area were Latinx,” said Dr. Hector Flores, FCS founding member and chairman of the Family Medicine Department at White Memorial Medical Center. “We are honored that Advisory Board has recognized the significant long-term impact of our healthcare workforce development program. In many ways, Family Care Specialists has become a living laboratory that teaches us what it is that we need to teach young physicians so they can practice confidently in underserved areas.”
Advisory Board’s Innovation Showcase and the award to FCS are funded by Optum. The Innovation Showcase aims to highlight strategies health care organizations are using to increase the diversity of their workforce to better reflect their community in clinical and leadership roles. A panel of expert judges used four criteria to judge the eight finalists: impact, creativity, design and sustainability. For more than 40 years, Advisory Board has researched the most pressing issues facing the healthcare industry to provide health leaders with the insights and tools they need to make informed decisions. Advisory Board and Optum are committed to advancing equity across the health care industry.
Advisory Board and Dr. Flores will co-host a webinar on March 2, 2022. Anyone interested in attending to learn more about how FCS has increased the supply of Latinx health professionals can email zuckermr@advisory.com.
FCS recently announced that it has become part of Altais Clinical Services, a healthcare network to advance value-based healthcare for all. Altais aims to provide independent physicians and medical groups with its seamless integrated technology platform, allowing for more time spent with patients. As part of Altais, FCS will continue to provide coordinated care to ensure its physicians spend time doing what they do best – caring for patients.
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About Altais
Altais is a healthcare services company that helps physicians and the clinical community maximize the health and well-being of their patients in an affordable and sustainable way. Altais has two divisions. Altais Clinical Services offers a range of affiliation and employment models for physicians, and high-quality, affordable care for patients. Altais Health offers a broad platform of clinical support tools and technology, along with high-touch support. Ultimately, Altais seeks to enhance the vibrancy of physician practice and strengthen the heart of medicine – physicians connecting with patients and providing personalized, high-quality care. For more information about Altais, please visit www.altaisdev.wpengine.com.
About Family Care Specialists
The Family Care Specialists (FCS) Medical Corporation, aka FCS Medical Group, and the FCS IPA collectively serve approximately 30,000 beneficiaries comprised of Medi-Cal, Medicare, Commercial and Covered California coverage and 5% who are uninsured. The FCS Medical Group is dedicated to improving the health status of its patients, their families and the entire community. FCS utilizes culturally and linguistically competent services and deployment of performance standards that reduce or eliminate health disparities. The FCS medical group is also the founding partner of the Adventist Health White Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. For more information about Family Care Specialists, please visit www.fcsmg.com.
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Photos and interviews are available by contacting Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991 or Altais@landispr.com.