Laguna Beach Community Clinic

The mission of Laguna Beach Community Clinic (LBCC) is to provide excellent medical care, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. A safety-net provider, the clinic serves disadvantaged, low-income, and underserved. The Clinic’s Vision is to be a leading health care home providing all-encompassing services with long-term financial sustainability and adhere to our Values of compassionate, respectful high-quality care.

Founded in 1970, LBCC became a licensed community clinic in 1985, Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) in 2015, and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike in 2018. No longer a free clinic, today services are delivered with respect for client dignity, and patient payments are based on a sliding fee scale. The Clinic was named a 2023 Community Health Quality Recognition Awardee for notable quality improvement achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity, health information technology, and COVID emergency response. In 2025, the Clinic joined an Independent Physician’s Association (IPA) which benefits patients by providing access to over 30 medical services and procedures. The IPA will also improve sustainability.

The Clinic is an independent, non-profit, primary care health facility that provides family-centered medical and dental care. A safety-net medical provider, the Clinic serves economically disadvantaged, low-income, and underserved families. The Clinic offers non-emergency curative and preventive care, as well as educational services for individuals and families in Orange County and serves as a training site for health care professionals. The Clinic offers services six days per week.

Services include primary care; diagnostic and radiology screenings; family planning, obstetrical and gynecological care; specialty care for endocrinology, urology, nephrology, and neurology; preventive dental; substance abuse services; immunizations; well-child; telehealth; health education; mental health; pharmaceutical; orthopedics; nutrition; referral to optometry and additional dental. The organization has agreements with local hospitals to provide reports to LBCC for patients to facilitate follow-up after hospital discharge; and a 24/7 Nurse Advice Line to provide after-hours triage calls. Program wrap-around services include outreach, care coordination/case management, and direct eligibility assistance for Medi-Cal enrollment.

The Clinic is pleased to announce the July 2025 recruitment of Emily Houston, RN, in the newly formed position of Quality Compliance Officer. Ms. Houston will oversee quality initiative goals during the coming year and HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) metrics; measures which when improved will lead to higher efficiency and financial returns. A key success during the past year was securing a higher PPS (Prospective Payment System) rate of $385.81 per visit. Medi-Cal reimbursements are a significant part of earned income for the Clinic, thus the increased rate will improve sustainability for the organization. Additionally, the Clinic joined an Independent Physicians Association.
In the next six months, the Clinic will split the current dual role Chief Executive Officer/Chief Medical Officer into two positions. Dr. Jorge Rubal has served in dual roles since 2016 and will retain the role of CEO necessitating the recruitment of a dedicated CMO. Establishing the dedicated position of CMO will be transformative for the Clinic, while also providing continuity to maintain the excellence of the existing range of clinic programs. The CMO will oversee the quality of care, clinical activities, and clinical staff by providing leadership in all areas of clinical operations. Additionally, the CMO will be part of the leadership team of the organization. The CMO is responsible for all Clinic programs. Impact and activities are included and measured in the breadth of those programs.
Senior level management capacity growth with the addition of a Quality Officer and CMO will ensure continued clinical excellence both for the benefit of patient outcomes and the benefit of revenue based on quality measures (value-based care).
In addition to clinical quality and recruitment goals, the Clinic plans to increase patient volume with the IPA network and through expanded outreach.

Modernizing our patient records with an Electronic Medical Records software system has improved efficiency, security, collaboration, patient service, and reliability. Ongoing annual maintenance fees of $65,000.

The Clinic's ongoing Direct Medical Program provides walk-in availability urgent care, primary care for all ages, specialized care for chronic conditions, and ongoing preventive care. The need for philanthropic support is critical as the reimbursement amount from government insurance and the sliding-fee payments from patients do not fully cover the cost to administer an office visit. Other revenue sources help close the gap, however timing of grant installments can compound cash flow uncertainty. We anticipate a typical annual need of $200,000 to ease cash flow fluctuations for Direct Medical Programs.

The single-site facility serves patients from throughout Orange County, but primarily those who live or work south of the 55 freeway. The Clinic is located within walking distance of a key transportation hub and a day laborer work solicitation site.

LBCC has been designated as serving a Medically Underserved Population (MUP), as measured by the Index of Medical Underservice (IMU). The IMU utilizes four indicators: providers per 1,000 population; percent of population at 100% Federal Poverty Level; percent of population age 65 and over; and infant mortality rate. Based on these indicators, LBCC’s IMU score demonstrates the critical need experienced by the patients we serve.

Next year the Clinic will celebrate 55 years of serving the community. It’s a time for reflecting on our roots, celebrating the individuals who’ve made a lasting impact on our community’s health, and casting our vision for the future. I’m honored to be heading the Clinic at this juncture in our history. Our vision for expansion is only achievable thanks to the dedication, strategic thinking, and roll-up-your-sleeves hard work of the men and women who came before me. This vision for the future emerged from our Board of Directors Strategic Planning Retreat, and like everything we do at the Clinic, our plans are evidence-based. Through all the years we’ve been operating, we’ve done more than deliver excellent health care services, we’ve become a reliable, comfortable medical home to our friends and neighbors.

It is my honor to serve as the President of the Board of the Laguna Beach Community Clinic. Our community Clinic has been serving the healthcare needs of the Orange County population since 1970 and continues to offer a wide range of excellent healthcare services to our community. We are proud of our mission, our heritage and growth in recent years, thanks to our CEO/CMO, Dr. Jorge Rubal’s efforts as well as the clinic staff, in becoming a Federally Qualified Health Center.