Morgan Consulting Resources, Inc. has been retained to conduct the search for the CEO of Health Plan of San Mateo. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead one of California’s most innovative and mission-driven public health plans at a pivotal moment in healthcare history. As the only Medi-Cal health plan in California to fully integrate medical, dental, and behavioral health services, HPSM serves one in five residents of San Mateo County. The position is based in South San Francisco.

About Health Plan of San Mateo

Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) is a local, non-profit Medi-Cal health plan founded in 1987. Governed by the San Mateo County Health Commission, HPSM has a mission to ensure that San Mateo County’s vulnerable and underserved residents have access to high-quality care, services and supports so they can live the healthiest lives possible. With more than 150,000 members enrolled across its health plans and programs, HPSM serves nearly all of the county’s Medi-Cal eligible residents. HPSM also sponsors special programs that help members navigate complex social issues, such as securing home-based health care and affordable housing. HPSM has a staff of over 400 employees, including seven executive leaders, and annual revenues of $1.1 billion.

Our Mission: To ensure that San Mateo County’s underserved residents have access to high-quality care, services and supports so they can live the healthiest lives possible.

Our Vision: We believe that healthy is for everyone. In order to meet the highest quality of care standards, we continually advocate for our members’ health, especially those disproportionately impacted by health inequities.

Health Plans:

Medi-Cal: State and federally funded health insurance program for low-income individuals and families.

CareAdvantage: Health insurance program for people with both Medicare and Medi-Cal.

HealthWorx HMO: Coverage for In-Home Services and Support providers and eligible employees of the City of San Mateo.

San Mateo County ACE Program: Locally funded plan administered by HPSM for low-income adults who do not qualify for other health insurance.

Healthcare Programs:

HPSM’s five programs serve one in five San Mateo County residents, representing diverse, low-income individuals and families, seniors, people with disabilities, and children with complex medical conditions. These programs include:

• HPSM Dental: California’s first and only dental plan for Medi-Cal members that is fully integrated with medical and mental health care benefits.
• CalAIM: A statewide program by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that helps managed care plans like HPSM support high-risk, high-needs Medi-Cal members.
• HomeAdvantage: Provides eligible CareAdvantage members with routine and urgent home visits, 24/7 phone access to providers, and transition support after a hospital visit.
• Whole Child Model (WCM): A partnership between HPSM and San Mateo County to deliver coordinated care and services to eligible kids with complex medical conditions.
• Wider Circle: Helps older adults make new friends and develop healthy habits by attending fun social events in their community.

The 2024-2028 strategic plan has two areas of focus:

• Better health care experiences and outcomes for all members: Our primary motivation is achieving meaningful improvements for our members. This area of focus is the “true north” we will galvanize our efforts around in the years to come.
• Thriving organizational capacity and resilience: In order to meet the ambitious goals of our first area of focus, we know we must invest in the foundation of our organization in several specific ways.

HPSM has defined six specific goals to advance the areas of focus:

• Goal 1, Improve health outcomes: Improve HPSM members’ health outcomes, so that they are comparable with the outcomes of all residents of San Mateo County.
• Goal 2, Enhance access and experience: Increase access to high-quality member-centered care.
• Goal 3, Increase health equity: Reduce disparities in health outcomes among HPSM members.
• Goal 4, Strengthen culture and teams: Foster an inclusive learning culture that promotes diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging.
• Goal 5, Solve problems with data: Improve decision-making by HPSM staff and providers by leveraging our data and technology to get the right information to the right person at the right time.
• Goal 6, Invest for the future: Ensure HPSM’s long-term sustainability to advance our mission, by evaluating and pursuing opportunities to expand or invest differently.

For details regarding the organization, please visit: https://www.hpsm.org/.

About the Position

HPSM seeks an exceptional leader to guide this mission-driven organization at the forefront of community health. This is a rare opportunity to lead a high-performing public health plan with a powerful impact on the lives of thousands of residents, advancing health equity while shaping the future of healthcare delivery in San Mateo County.

The CEO will lead HPSM in aligning strategy, operations, and culture around two core priorities: improving healthcare experiences and outcomes for members and strengthening the organization’s long-term resilience and capacity. This will require the CEO to translate HPSM’s strategic goals into coordinated action across the organization including: improving health outcomes, expanding access to high-quality member-centered care, advancing health equity, strengthening an inclusive and high-performing culture, leveraging data and technology to drive better decision-making, and ensuring long-term organizational sustainability.

Success in the role will require the ability to align providers, county partners, community organizations, staff, and the Health Commission around shared priorities while fostering innovation, accountability, and operational excellence. This role offers a unique platform to influence health policy and advocate for vulnerable and underserved communities. The CEO will serve as HPSM’s public face, cultivating strong relationships with members, providers, community leaders and government partners at every level.

We are seeking a visionary leader with a proven track record of guiding mission-driven organizations, shaping policy, and delivering measurable results. The CEO of HPSM will attract and inspire top talent, foster organizational excellence, and champion innovative solutions that connect healthcare delivery to broader community well-being. This is an extraordinary opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by advancing health equity, driving operational success, and shaping a model of inclusive, community-centered healthcare.

The ideal candidate brings a master’s degree in health administration, business administration, or a related field, along with at least 15 years of progressive healthcare experience managing complex programs. They will have a minimum of 10 years in management roles, including five years at the senior leadership level. Experience administering Medicaid, Medicare, and other public programs is essential, with direct experience in Medi-Cal preferred.

Ideal Candidate

• Member, provider, and mission oriented: Holds HPSM member, provider, and local community priorities as a North Star and centers member experience and needs when making organizational decisions.
• Accountable and solutions oriented: Instills accountability across the organization for understanding member and provider needs, and for finding solutions to address them on an ongoing basis. Passionate about promoting health equity and reducing health disparities.
• Politically savvy: Has a strong understanding of local, state, and federal stakeholders and is able to navigate complex political challenges. Leads the organization in advocacy and builds strong relationships at the federal, state (DHCS, DMHC), and local levels.
• Knowledgeable: Possesses deep knowledge of Medicare, Medi-Cal, and managed care financing.
• Strategic planner: Defines and communicates a clear vision and motivates others to achieve results. Structured in gathering information to inform decisions and balances analysis with decisiveness. Visionary while understanding the practicalities of implementing that vision.
• Collaborative, coalition builder, and communicator: Finds human relationships motivating and is eager to understand others’ perspectives. Possesses the same curiosity about others’ experiences and organizational culture as about complex logical problems. Track record of navigating constructively through conflict and building alliances with diverse individuals and organizations. Articulates complex ideas and organizational priorities in a compelling way using a variety of communication approaches.
• Change leadership and resilience: Experience in navigating change, conflict, and failure; remains externally-focused on solutions and making ethical choices, even when doing so is challenging or requires sacrifice.
• Curiosity and problem-solving skills: Intrigued and energized by complex problems and ambiguity and is driven to understand how things work and imagine how they could work better.
• Commitment to innovation: Perceives that health is more than clinical services and has a passion for broad system reform related to behavioral health, long-term services and supports, and health social determinants. Appreciates what makes HPSM unique in the health plan space and is committed to maintaining HPSM’s leadership in innovation.

About San Mateo County

San Mateo County is part of Silicon Valley and the broader San Francisco Bay Area. Spanning most of the San Francisco Peninsula, the county is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the San Francisco Bay, with Santa Clara County to the southeast. With a population of approximately 750,000, San Mateo County is home to a diverse mix of communities across all socioeconomic levels, ranging geographically from fog-covered coastal towns to vibrant, tech-anchored inland cities. HPSM is headquartered in South San Francisco, in the northernmost part of the county.

San Mateo County is one of the nation’s most economically dynamic regions, positioned between Silicon Valley and the San Francisco life sciences corridor. Its economy is highly “complex,” with strengths across technology, healthcare, biotechnology, research, and professional services that create a dense ecosystem of innovation, talent, and investment.

The county’s diversity is a major asset. Multilingual, multicultural communities and a globally connected workforce contribute to economic resilience and innovation across sectors. At the same time, the county’s size, rapid growth, and high cost of living contribute to varying levels of access to healthcare, housing stability, transportation, and preventive services across communities.

The county’s Medi-Cal population is a central part of this landscape. Many residents including children, seniors, working families, and essential workers rely on Medi-Cal for access to primary care, dental, behavioral health services, maternal health, and long-term support. As economic and housing pressures continue to shape the region, Medi-Cal plays an increasingly important role in supporting both community health and economic stability.

This creates a significant opportunity for San Mateo County to align its innovation economy with more integrated, community-centered approaches to health equity. With strong healthcare institutions, advanced data capabilities, and a culture of cross-sector collaboration, the county is well positioned to develop scalable models that connect healthcare, social services, and economic opportunity, advancing both long-term economic resilience and community well-being.

Salary range: $398,434 – $547,847

Next Steps

If you or someone you know meets the qualifications for this pivotal role, I would be happy to arrange a discussion. Thank you for your consideration.

Lisa Coyne, Principal
Morgan Consulting Resources, Inc.
lisa@morganconsulting.com

POSITION DESCRIPTION

General Description

Provide leadership to further the Health Plan of San Mateo’s mission and vision and the achievement of the Triple Aim: Improving the HPSM member experience; improving the health of HPSM populations; and reducing the per capita cost of health care. Lead the development and direct the successful implementation of short and long term strategic goals and plans for HPSM; direct and oversee HPSM programs and functional areas through the leadership team; work collaboratively with the San Mateo Health Commission, HPSM’s governing body, San Mateo County Health, other key County departments, and community based organizations; develop and maintain positive working relationships with HPSM providers, members, community representatives, and federal state, and county agencies on behalf of HPSM; lead development of health policy affecting underserved residents of San Mateo County; attract and retain the talent necessary for HPSM to be a highly effective organization.

Duties & Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Formulate and implement short- and long-term strategic goals and plans for the organization in accordance with HPSM’s mission and under the direction of the San Mateo Health Commission.
• Lead planning and development of HPSM programs and services, especially integrated services in the areas of long-term services and supports, behavioral health and substance use disorder services, dental integration, and Medicare/Medicaid benefit and service integration.
• Lead internal administrative, operational, and financial operations through the leadership team.
• Work through clinical and other HPSM leaders, ensure continuous quality improvement in organizational performance, member health outcomes, member access to care, health cost trends, and member and provider satisfaction and experience.
• Work through technology, data analytics, and other HPSM leadership, ensure HPSM uses and shares data effectively to promote improvements in members outcomes and provider collaboration and effectiveness.
• Work through the Chief Compliance Officer, ensure organization operates according to the highest ethical standards and maintains compliance with federal, and state regulations.
• Work closely with the San Mateo Health Commission and its advisory committees to support the oversight and policy making functions of the Commission.
• Work collaboratively with a wide variety of external individuals and organizations to ensure effective and efficient HPSM operations, and in the development of goals and policies in accordance with HPSM’s mission. These organizations and individuals include but are not limited to:
• Providers, members, and community agencies cover a broad range of medical, behavioral health, substance use disorder, housing, and social services.
• San Mateo County Health and other key County agencies such as Human Services, and Housing;
• State regulatory and payer agencies such as the Department of Health Care Services, the Department of Managed Health Care, the Department of Public Health, California Department of Aging, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Developmental Services;
• Federal regulatory and payer agencies such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health and Human Services Agency, and private accreditation agencies such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance; and
• Local, State, and Federal elected officials and their staff.
• Select and retain HPSM talent to maintain staff with breadth and depth sufficient to attain and surpass HPSM goals and objectives. Provide direction to leadership team, department directors and other key personnel.
• Accomplish staff results by communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; coaching, counseling, and implementing corrective action steps when necessary; developing, coordinating, and enforcing systems, policies, procedures, and productivity standards. Complete performance evaluations in a timely manner.
• Stay abreast of current developments and trends in Medi-Cal and Medicare managed care, as well as policy and regulatory changes.

Qualifications

Education and experience equivalent to:

• Master’s Degree in health administration, business administration, or a related field. Minimum of 15 years relevant health care experience administering managed health care programs, with at least 10 years in a management role. Five years of the management experience must be at the Senior Leadership Level.
• Experience working with Medicaid, Medicare, and other public programs. Experience with Medi-Cal is preferred.

Knowledge of:

• Current developments in the field of managed care.
• Principles, procedures, and techniques used in planning, evaluating, and administering a variety of programs such as Medi-Cal (including behavioral health) and Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans, and managed care administrative services for other organizations.
• Federal and State laws and regulations pertaining to managed care, Medicaid, and Medicare.
• Supervisory principles and practices as well as techniques and methods to organize and manage direct reports.
• Personal computers and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.

Ability to:

• Administer the functions/programs of a managed health care organization.
• Supervise/provide direction to staff.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with government agencies, community programs, providers, members, staff, and others.
• Communicate effectively with a diverse group of people, verbally and in writing.

Details