Integrated Health Partners of Southern California (IHP) Announces Appointment of Raj Dugel, MD, to Medical Director

Seasoned veteran to help accelerate growth and shape the future of patient care

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Center Partners (HCP) of Southern California, the region's preeminent authority and health care policy advocate for community health and underserved patient populations, today announced the appointment of Raj Dugel, MD, to Medical Director of its subsidiary, Integrated Health Partners of Southern California (IHP), a clinically integrated network consisting of nine member health centers, with 300,000 lives under management, in San Diego and Riverside Counties. As a powerful advocate for primary care service providers and their patients, IHP seeks to improve health outcomes by improving quality of care through coordinating and integrating the efforts of member health centers. Dr. Dugel will provide clinical and population health leadership in partnership with IHP's member health centers throughout San Diego and Riverside Counties. As part of this important role, he will leverage his expertise in clinical medicine, medical informatics, and network development to help strengthen health centers' clinical operations and ultimately improve care quality and health outcomes.

"Health Center Partners is proud and pleased to welcome Raj to our family of companies," said Henry Tuttle, president and CEO of Health Center Partners of Southern California. "I'm excited to work together with Raj to create innovative care pathways for our 300,000 patients and their families to help make them and keep them healthy because we believe everyone deserves a fair and equitable opportunity to be as healthy as possible."

Dr. Dugel brings extensive experience in clinical medicine, medical informatics, network development, managed care, value-based care/payment, and administrative leadership to his role at IHP. Previously, he was Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Regional Assistant Medical Director at Providence Health & Services in Los Angeles. Dr. Dugel concurrently serves as a Senior System-level Physician Epic Informaticist.

Prior to joining Providence, Dr. Dugel founded and directed the leading ophthalmology practice in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. During his long clinical career, Dr. Dugel negotiated and managed at-risk contracts covering up to 120,000 lives in capitated models. He was also a principal investigator for clinical trials and a USC teaching faculty.

Dr. Dugel received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, followed by an internship at USC-LA County Medical Center, residency in Ophthalmology at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and a Cornea Transplant fellowship in USC-Doheny Eye Foundation in Los Angeles. As a board-certified ophthalmologist, he has been published extensively and has been featured in numerous regional magazines and cable television programs in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. 

"I'm excited about my new role and this incredible, new chapter with IHP, and look forward to leveraging my background to help to improve the quality of health care outcomes at all our member health centers and the patients entrusted to their care," comments Dr. Dugel.

A premier consortium of primary health care organizations, Health Center Partners (HCP) is the voice and advocate for its members who serve the health needs of communities throughout southern California. We serve as a catalyst for transforming and enhancing primary care by helping our members deliver quality health care to the safety net population across southern California, through innovative programs, resources, and advocacy. A family of companies, HCP includes a 17-membership organization of Federally Qualified Health Centers, Indian Health Services Organizations, both urban and sovereign, and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, collectively serving 848,000 unduplicated patients each year, for 3.4 million patient visits each year, at 192 practice sites across San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, San Bernardino, and Orange counties, with the seventh largest provider group in the region. For more information, visit https://hcpsocal.org/, become a fan on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram and Twitter. 

SOURCE Health Center Partners of Southern California