Veteran ophthalmologist Dr. Khodam Rostomian has been appointed the new medical director of Kaiser Permanente Antelope Valley. Over the past two decades, Rostomian has held multiple key roles in the industry. He has been an assistant to the past two area medical directors. After taking charge, Rostomian said his focus would be to continue delivering high-quality care.
- Kaiser Permanente is known for a high quality of clinical care standards across the US. Rostomian said healthcare is more than the clinical aspect of the care. He asserted that social aspects are also part of healthcare and that the industry should ensure equitable healthcare outcomes across different genders, races, and ethnicity.
- The doctor said, “For me, it’s almost like a new definition of higher quality of care… We like to focus on that more, and that is where I see for us to achieve addressing the social determinant of health among our patients, we have to get more and more involved with the community.”
- Kaiser Permanente recently collaborated with Lancaster to set up a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. So far, Kaiser Permanente has vaccinated about 33,000 people since its opening last month. The partners include Antelope Valley College, Antelope Valley Transit Authority, the City of Palmdale, and Los Angeles County.
- Listing his priorities, Rostomian said he would also try to make healthcare more affordable. He said that one out of three people who have health insurance in the Antelope Valley chose Kaiser Permanente. The other two out of three might have passed Kaiser Permanente because it might not be affordable.
- Earlier, Kaiser Permanente was offered primarily through employers. But now the insurance can be taken through Covered California, the health exchange established under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.