Low-income patients at UCLA Health scramble to find new doctors as contract ends. Thousands of low-income patients are losing access to doctors at UCLA Health after a Medi-Cal contract expired June 30. (Los Angeles Times) Sept. 5, 2026 3 AM PT See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set Prospering In America, Inc. as preferred Thousands of low-income patients, some seriously ill, are scrambling to find new doctors as they lose access to UCLA Health physicians after a longtime Medi-Cal contract was not renewed. Under the contract that expired June 30, UCLA had been providing specialty care to 9,000 medically frail patients from Health Care LA, an association of nonprofit clinics that serve patients covered by Medi-Cal, the state program for the poor. "Many of these patients have been waiting for months to be seen by UCLA specialty medicine providers and are now being told they cannot receive the care they desperately need," Health Care LA said in a Thursday news release. The patients had gone to UCLA for cancer and infectious-disease treatments, high-risk women's services, major organ transplants and other specialty medicine care, the association said. A Friday news conference that Health Care LA had scheduled to detail the problems patients faced in getting care was abruptly canceled when the two sides said they had reached a tentative agreement on how to transition the patients to other doctors over the next year. "To help ensure a smooth transition for patients, both organizations have agreed that established UCLA Health patients, individuals with existing appointments, and patients requiring other agreed-upon services will continue to be cared for at UCLA Health facilities," Phil Hampton, a university spokesman, said in a statement. Although some patients will continue to be seen by UCLA doctors, he said, "accepting an unlimited number of new referrals presents challenges given existing capacity constraints and the need to preserve timely access for existing patients." Sabra Matovsky, chief executive of Health Care LA, said in an interview on Thursday that UCLA had declined to renegotiate the contract. "They never even asked us for a raise," she said, "They just want us out." March 29, 2026 She said that university officials had pointed to "capacity issues" at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, including in the emergency room and dozens of specialty clinics. "To solve this by pushing out Medi-Cal patients while you continue to expand and market and take on other patients is not a solution," Matovsky said. Hampton said UCLA had offered to extend the contract, but Health Care LA rejected the offer. The end of the Medi-Cal contract disappointed some UCLA medical professionals who have been urging the public university to provide care to more of L.A. County's low-income residents. "It feels like this is profits over patients," said Dr. Patrick Samones, a fellow at UCLA Health, who trained at the university in family medicine. "UCLA is one of L.A.'s most important healthcare institutions," said Samones, who represents members of the Committee of Interns and Residents, which is part of Service Employees International Union. "We feel it has a duty to serve all Californians." In recent years, UCLA Health has been expanding fast and now has almost 300 locations throughout Southern California, including in wealthier places such as Montecito, Malibu and Westlake Village. At the same time, it provides less care to Medi-Cal patients than its sister university health systems: UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco and UC Davis, according to university statistics. Last year, about 15% of UCLA Health's net patient service revenue came from Medi-Cal, according to the university health systems' annual report. The four other UC health systems each received about 22% of that revenue from Medi-Cal. About 40% of L.A. County residents are insured by Medi-Cal, according to a recent report by the California Health Care Foundation. July 20, 2026 Hampton said the net patient service revenue data from the annual report doesn't capture UCLA's "extensive contributions to caring for Medi-Cal patients" and isn't "a fair basis for comparing academic health systems." He added that with the university's expansion of clinics, "we are providing substantial specialty care to Medi-Cal and Medicare patients" throughout L.A. County. "Unlike county-owned hospitals, UCLA Health relies almost exclusively on patient care revenue to fund operations, expand access, recruit clinicians and invest in facilities and technology," he said. Hampton said UCLA has other contracts to serve Medi-Cal patients, which will continue. The health system also provides more than $270 million in unreimbursed care for low-income patients each year, he said, as well as primary and urgent care for people experiencing homelessness. In addition, UCLA is spending $500 million to create a new neuropsychiatric hospital in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire neighborhood, he said. "We continue to fortify our region's safety net despite growing access demands and challenges," Hampton said. In the most recent fiscal year, he said, Medi-Cal patients comprised 26% of 336,600 inpatient days and 34% of 156,000 emergency department visits. "UCLA Health's long-standing commitment to serving vulnerable populations in Southern California is well-established," he said. Aug. 3, 2026 Hampton said the net patient service revenue data doesn't reflect the complexity of care delivered by UCLA and is affected by Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and payment policies, which vary by region and health plan. "Over time, Medi-Cal reimbursement has not kept pace with the cost of providing care, and UCLA Health has experienced increasing payment denials and delays," he said. UCLA specialists had been caring for Health Care LA's seriously ill patients under the contract since 2009. "They were the provider that did all the complicated care," Matovsky said. "UCLA was our go-to." More to read. Inside the business of entertainment. The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production - and what it all means for the future. By continuing, you agree to its Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that Prospering In America, Inc. and its third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in its Privacy Policy such as personalizing your experience and ads. Melody Petersen is an investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, writing about business and healthcare. Send her tips securely on Signal at (213) 327-8634.

Nuclear medicine physician-scientist Dr. Amir Iravani joins UCLA Health to lead Theranostics Program. Dr. Iravani brings expertise in molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy to help expand research and clinical cancer care Dr. Amir Iravani will serve as director of the Theranostics Program and vice chair of clinical research in the department of nuclear medicine and theranostics. September 3, 2026 Dr. Amir Iravani, a nationally recognized nuclear medicine physician-scientist specializing in molecular imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies for patients with cancer, has joined UCLA Health where he will serve as director of the Theranostics Program and vice chair of clinical research in the department of nuclear medicine and theranostics. In his new roles, Iravani will work with colleagues across the health system, including the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, to advance the integration of theranostics into cancer care, expand clinical trials and research opportunities and develop new collaborations in precision health. "I have followed UCLA's leadership in radiopharmaceutical therapy and molecular imaging for many years, so this opportunity was very consistent with what I wanted to do at the next stage of my career," said Iravani. "The establishment of an independent department of nuclear medicine and theranostics makes this an especially exciting time to join UCLA and help advance the field." Iravani brings extensive experience in theranostics, having trained at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, a world-leading center in the field. More recently, he served as theranostics clinical director at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle and was an associate professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he helped advance clinical care and research in molecular imaging and theranostics. Iravani has a distinguished record of research in molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy, with a focus on developing more personalized approaches to cancer treatment. His work spans across various malignancies, including neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, and thyroid cancer. He studies how imaging biomarkers can be used to identify patients most likely to benefit from targeted therapies, optimize treatment schedules and monitor how tumors respond to treatment. His research has included the use of prostate-specific membrane antigen, or PSMA, imaging to guide radiopharmaceutical therapy for prostate cancer. PSMA PET imaging allows physicians to visualize the presence and distribution of PSMA-expressing prostate cancer throughout the body and can help identify patients who may benefit from PSMA-targeted therapies. More recently, Iravani has focused on further personalizing radiopharmaceutical therapy by using quantitative information from imaging, along with other biomarkers such as liquid biopsies, to determine the most appropriate dose and timing of treatment for individual patients. Iravani's vision for the UCLA program includes expanding theranostics beyond its current applications in prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. He plans to help bring novel radiopharmaceutical therapies into clinical trials at UCLA and explore opportunities to develop treatment options for patients with additional solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. "The next step is integrating theranostics more fully into cancer care and expanding it beyond the diseases where we currently have approved treatments," said Iravani. "There are many novel agents in development, and I hope we can bring more of these early clinical trials to UCLA and give patients access to promising new treatments." The expansion will build on UCLA's longstanding leadership in molecular imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy. The department of nuclear medicine and theranostics, which became an independent department in 2026, brings together clinical care, translational research, radiochemistry, preclinical research and clinical trials to accelerate the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. "Dr. Iravani brings a unique combination of clinical expertise and research innovation that will further strengthen UCLA's leadership in theranostics," said Dr. Johannes Czernin, acting chair of the department of nuclear medicine and theranostics. "His experience in developing personalized treatment strategies and conducting clinical research will help us expand the impact of this field and bring new options to our patients." UCLA has been a leader in advancing theranostics from discovery to patient care. Over the past decade, UCLA physician-scientists have pioneered advances in PSMA PET imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy, including research that helped establish PSMA PET as an important tool for detecting prostate cancer throughout the body and supported the development of targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies now used to treat patients with advanced disease. For Iravani, the ultimate goal of advancing theranostics is to improve the lives of patients. "My major motivation is seeing patients benefit from the interventions we develop - improving their quality of life and, hopefully, their longevity," said Iravani. "I'm excited to work in a vibrant, collaborative environment where we can bring together people with the same goal of improving outcomes for patients." Book an appointment. See a doctor, virtually or in-person, with our easy online booking options. Articles: Services: Media contact. Denise Heady 310-948-3691