Dr. Bhatia combines clinical and visionary leadership to forward Prime's mission and health equity

Kavitha Reddy Bhatia, MD, President and Chair of Prime Healthcare Foundation and Chief Medical Officer of Strategy for Prime Healthcare, continues to earn accolades for her visionary leadership and service. Most recently, Dr. Bhatia was honored as an "Inspirational Woman" by the LA Times for leadership that positively impacted millions of lives.

Prime Healthcare is one of the nation's leading health systems, with 45 hospitals in 14 states. Throughout her career, Dr. Bhatia has been dedicated to Prime's mission of health equity and social responsibility, and has been recognized for her work to end healthcare disparities in underserved communities. Fourteen of Prime Healthcare's 45 hospitals are not-for-profit members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation. The Prime Healthcare Foundation, under Dr. Bhatia's leadership, has grown to over $1 billion in assets and has provided $2.7 billion in charity care while leading countless local and global initiatives to advance medicine, healthcare, and education.

Dr. Bhatia has also been nationally recognized and awarded United States Congressional and California State recognition for her "selfless service" and "tireless commitment and dedication to those she serves so fearlessly," especially throughout the pandemic. This includes Prime Healthcare's historic acquisition of St. Francis Medical Center, in Lynwood, CA, at the height of the pandemic in August 2020. Dr. Bhatia led Prime Healthcare's COVID-19 efforts as Chair of the National COVID-19 committee, focusing efforts on coordinating critical care, resources and surge plans across the health system.

As an enduring contribution to medicine, the Prime Healthcare Foundation provided a $60 million donation establishing the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM), a private, non-profit medical school in Southern California dedicated to advancing medicine, forwarding equity and addressing the physician shortage in underserved communities. Dr. Bhatia serves as Founding Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at CUSM, as well as Academic Committee Chair and Associate Professor in the CUSM School of Medicine.

Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Paul Lyons, President and Dean of CUSM, recently authored an opinion piece in Modern Healthcare: "Health systems have key role in training next generation of caregivers."

"This is a pivotal time in our history as we develop innovative and sustainable strategies to meet the challenges facing healthcare in California and nationwide," said Dr. Bhatia.

As Chief Medical Officer of Strategy for Prime Healthcare, Dr. Bhatia has championed the values of social responsibility and value-based care, leading Prime to national recognition by The Joint Commission with the prestigious 2021 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for its cohesive program and groundbreaking initiatives in social determinants of health. Prime has also ranked among the best as one of the top 10 most cost-efficient health systems in the nation, achieving excellent patient outcomes while reducing the cost of care, according to the Lown Institute. These awards are in addition to numerous others, including over 237 awards from Healthgrades and many hospitals named among America’s 100 Best. Prime Healthcare's physician-led and patient-centered model was created to drive value, clinical excellence and health equity for all patients.

In addition to her dedication to Prime's mission, Dr. Bhatia has remained deeply committed to philanthropy throughout her career, receiving a Miraculous Medallion for her service with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, coordinating humanitarian aid to India during COVID surges, supporting inner city programs for youth, and contributing to many national and global philanthropic causes.

The list of Dr. Bhatia's charitable and professional accomplishments continues to expand as she focuses on bettering the lives of those in need. Dr. Bhatia serves on the California Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees, advocating for better care for all Californians. "We are so pleased to have Dr. Bhatia on our Board of Trustees," said CHA President & CEO Carmela Coyle. "She brings unique perspectives on healthcare policy and advocacy given her engagement and leadership role with Prime Healthcare hospitals in several states, and her clinical perspective is a strong addition."

Dr. Bhatia is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Bhatia also serves as a Governing Board Member of the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) and a member of the FAH's Quality and Emergency Preparedness committees.

Dr. Bhatia continues to be recognized among the nation's physician leaders, named as a Top Doctor, Top Leader in Healthcare and Woman of Influence by the Los Angeles Times Business Journal. She has been named among the 500 most influential leaders on the prestigious "LA500" list and a "CMO to Know" by Becker's Healthcare. These recognitions reflect Prime Healthcare and Dr. Bhatia's deep commitment to expand access to quality care and address healthcare disparities to improve lives and advance a more equitable future.

About Prime Healthcare and Prime Healthcare Foundation: Prime Healthcare is an award-winning health system operating 45 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in 14 states, providing over 2.6 million patient visits annually. It is one of the nation's leading health systems with nearly 50,000 employees and physicians dedicated to providing the highest quality healthcare. Fourteen of the Prime Healthcare hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity. Based in Ontario, California, Prime Healthcare is nationally recognized for award-winning quality care and has been named a Top 10 and Top 15 Health System by IBM Watson Health. Its hospitals have been named among the nation's "100 Top Hospitals" 66 times and have received more Patient Safety Excellence Awards from Healthgrades than any other health system in the past seven years. To learn more, please visit www.primehealthcare.com

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Congrats to @_PrimeHealth's Dr. Kavitha Bhatia, recognized as a 2022 Inspirational Woman Award finalist by @LA Times for her leadership & forwarding Prime's mission.