L.A. Care Health Plan logo
L.A. Care Health Plan
Los Angeles, California

Medical Director, Quality

Internal MedicineFull-Time

Listed compensation

$206k-$351k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 58m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Salary Range: $206,311.00 (Min.) - $278,520.00 (Mid.) - $350,729.00 (Max.)

Established in 1997, L.A. Care Health Plan is an independent public agency created by the state of California to provide health coverage to low-income Los Angeles County residents. We are the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan. Serving more than 2 million members, we make sure our members get the right care at the right place at the right time.

Mission: L.A. Care’s mission is to provide access to quality health care for Los Angeles County's vulnerable and low-income communities and residents and to support the safety net required to achieve that purpose.

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Medical Management provides clinical and operational leadership for L.A. Care Health Plan Medical Management functions under Health Services, including Utilization Management (UM), Care Management (CM), Behavioral Health (BH), Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS). Reporting to the Chief of Healthcare Delivery, this executive is responsible for developing and executing integrated clinical strategies that advance high-quality, cost-effective, and member-centered care while ensuring compliance with all federal, state regulations, accreditation standards, contractual obligations, and organizational policies.

The Senior Director provides oversight of core medical management functions including prior authorization, utilization review, care coordination, complex case management, transitions of care, long-term services and supports, behavioral health, population health initiatives, quality assurance, provider and delegate oversight, education and training, and clinical support for Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (FWA) prevention and investigations. Establishes strategic priorities, oversee operational and financial performance, drives system enhancements and regulatory readiness, and leads continuous improvement initiatives that enhance quality, efficiency, compliance and cost avoidance.

Works collaboratively with Medical Directors, executive leadership, providers, delegated entities, Plan Partners, community organizations, and strategic vendors.

Advances an integrated, whole-person approach to care by aligning physical health, behavioral health, and long-term support services to improve member outcomes and the care experience.

This position provides leadership to directors and multidisciplinary teams by fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and service excellence that reflects L.A. Care's mission, values, and commitment to its culturally diverse membership.

The Senior Director is responsible for all aspects of talent leadership, including hiring, coaching, mentoring, performance management, staff development, and succession planning.

This position is responsible for directing all aspects of running an efficient team, including hiring, supervising, coaching, training, disciplining, and motivating direct reports. Duties

Support quality improvement efforts for the organization and promote an organizational culture of quality improvement and performance.

Develop, approve, and update medical policies, procedures, and standards of care based on current evidence-based practices.

Oversee provider facing activities relevant to Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Stars, Covered CA performance, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and state/federal regulatory bodies, including managing provider performance measurement and reporting.

Oversee and review the delivery of patient care to ensure it meets quality standards and regulatory guidelines.

Maintain and enforce compliance with all federal and state laws, accreditation processes and standards (such as NCQA), and other regulatory requirements. Guide quality assurance and performance improvement programs and participate in quality review committees.

Support population health management and practice transformation efforts to improve quality and value of care, control total costs of care, elevate member experience of care, and advance health equity.

Work with senior leadership and network practices in deploying standardized evidence-based best practices in medicine and clinical content and ensure adoption of best practices.

  • Perform other duties as assigned. Duties Continued
  • Education Required
  • Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)Education Preferred

Experience

  • Required:
  • At least 10 years of extensive post-medical degree experience in clinical practice, quality improvement, and population health management.
  • Proven experience in a physician leadership role, including managing teams.

Preferred

  • Minimum of 5 years of clinical experience with direct patient care.
  • At least 5 years of experience with credentialing, peer review, or provider performance improvement.

Informatics and Analytic experience with quality data from multiple disparate sources, including but not limited to 834, 837, 278 EDI and HIE HL7. Skills

Required

  • Must have a passion to improve quality for vulnerable populations.
  • Strong leadership presence with the ability to lead, mentor, and motivate a team.
  • Ability to think strategically and take a broad, business-oriented perspective.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to evaluating programs.

Exceptional communication and presentation skills to effectively convey complex medical concepts to diverse audiences.

Ability to review and assess clinical cases for potential quality issues and legal cases for assessment of severity and actions necessary.

  • Must maintain current competency in provider quality regulations and standards.
  • Capacity to work in a fast-paced, dynamic, and often ambiguous environment. Licenses/Certifications Required
  • Board Certified, preferably in a primary or medical specialty - Active, current and unrestricted California license. Licenses/Certifications Preferred
  • Required Training
  • Physical Requirements

LightAdditional Information

Salary Range Disclaimer: The expected pay range is based on many factors such as geography, experience, education, and the market. The range is subject to change.

L.A. Care offers a wide range of benefits including

  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Retirement Plans
  • Medical, Dental and Vision
  • Wellness Program
  • Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Director provides clinical and operational leadership for medical management functions, including utilization management, care management, and behavioral health. They are responsible for developing integrated clinical strategies that ensure high-quality, cost-effective care while maintaining compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree and possess at least 10 years of post-medical degree experience in clinical practice and quality improvement. A current, unrestricted California medical license and board certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
10+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification (preferred)

Key Skills

Clinical leadershipStrategic planningRegulatory complianceData analysisTeam leadershipEvidence-based medicineProvider relationsRisk management

Internal Medicine — Physician Career Context

Of the 50 active Internal Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 40% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$279k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $252k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Internal Medicine by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$252k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Internal Medicine listings in California192 active1,348 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 8% remote · 40% no call · 70% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Internist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

50 jobs · 35 employers
17
<$345k
18
$345k-365k
7
$365k-385k
4
$385k-405k
4
$405k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

42 jobs · 35 employers
401k / retirement match
81% this job
Sign-on bonus
67%
CME allowance
57%
Relocation assistance
55%
Loan repayment
40%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Physician

MedCap Health · Richmond, Virginia

$250k-$500k
#2

Internal Medicine PhysicianContract

Skilled Wound Care · California

$200k-$500k
#3

Family Medicine Physician

$200k-$500k
#4

Primary Care Physician w/ Managed Care exp (Open comp.)

$420k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Internal Medicine listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,335 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
L.A. Care Health Plan logo

About L.A. Care Health Plan

Hospitals and Health Care
Los Angeles, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Paid Time Off (PTO)
Tuition Reimbursement
Retirement Plans
Medical, Dental and Vision
Wellness Program
Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Living in Los Angeles

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$922k≈ 4.5× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,772/mo≈ 16% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
31 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.