ACA Medicaid expansion forced L.A. safety net system to improve, director says

Dr. Mitchell Katz, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, an integrated safety net system with 19 health centers and four hospitals, says the Affordable Care Act provided his system with a tremendous opportunity to transform itself. Modern Healthcare reporter Andis Robeznieks recently spoke with Katz about making the L.A. system more patient-centered, the importance of assigning patients a regular provider, and the need to incorporate social services into healthcare. Here is an edited transcript of their discussion.