Orange, California (November 1, 2018)
Board-certified internist David Ramirez, M.D., joined CalOptima as Chief Medical Officer this week. He is charged with overseeing the medical aspects of CalOptima’s four health care programs and with upholding CalOptima’s longstanding commitment to quality. He succeeds Richard Helmer, M.D., who retired in September.
Dr. Ramirez brings a diverse background of leadership in both clinical and health plan settings. Most recently, he worked for a national Medicare plan for six years in positions of increasing responsibility from Medical Director to Chief Quality Officer. Prior to that, Dr. Ramirez lived for 10 years in Austin, Texas, where he cared for patients in hospitals and ambulatory care centers as a practicing physician.
“I am pleased to join CalOptima and carry on the agency’s dedication to quality care,” said Dr. Ramirez, Chief Medical Officer. “My commitment is to members and their positive health care experience. By working with our provider partners, I will focus on ensuring that CalOptima’s nearly 780,000 members have access to compassionate, coordinated care across Orange County.”
Underpinning Dr. Ramirez’s clinical and management skills is a distinguished medical education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ramirez completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.