With over thirty years in the healthcare business, Ben Jacobowitz brings significant expertise in the areas of Managed Care, Business Development and Tactical Planning. 

Prior to forming Matrix Strategies in January 1998, Ben spent many years in the competitive Southern California market representing Hospitals and Health Systems in their Managed Care contracting and strategic business planning efforts. He previously had served as Regional Director of Managed Care for Tenet’s Southern California Region, comprised of 32 hospital facilities. Prior to Tenet, Ben served as a Senior Vice President of Managed Care for American Medical International’s San Fernando Valley Hospitals and was a member of AMI’s National Managed Care team. 

Ben is an articulate and seasoned executive, and a trusted advisor, who prides himself on the long-lasting working relationships he has developed both in the payor and provider community. He has also served as an expert witness involved in managed care related disputes between providers and payers.    

Ben holds both a Bachelor’s degree In Health Services Administration from California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC).

Galina has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with extensive expertise in medical group operations and finance. Her projects have included design, development and management of medical groups, ASCs, dialysis units and urgent care centers, as well as multiple projects involving complex inter-disciplinary integration between systems and entities. She has also worked with hospitals, medical groups and private physicians on strategic planning and business development, fiscal and operational restructuring, practice assessments, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as transitional and long-term practice management. Her multiple years of experience in operations, healthcare information technology, compliance and finance allow clients access to the best business practices for optimal practice performance.

Prior to joining Matrix, Galina served as CEO of Practice Management Associates, an MSO serving multiple practices in the Los Angeles area. Galina’s experience includes Regional Director for Tenet Physician Services, where she was responsible for operations and financial performance of private and hospital-affiliated multi-specialty medical groups in the Southern California area. 

Galina holds a degree in Healthcare Administration and Finance. 

Laura Jaramillo has more than 20 years of healthcare management experience and is a highly regarded subject matter expert in the areas of: Risk-Based Contracting, Delegated-Risk Model, Managed Care Operations, Government-Sponsored Programs, Commercial and Healthcare Benefit Exchange Products, and Regulatory Compliance. 

Laura’s ongoing and past consulting engagements include: provider/payor contract negotiations, downstream provider contracting (hospital, physician, ancillary provider), expert witness consultation, medical group/FQHC operations, business process improvement, member/provider engagement, and healthcare policy analysis/development.

Before joining Matrix, Laura held senior manager roles in diverse healthcare settings, including health plans, hospitals, medical group, independent physician associations (IPAs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and county health departments.  

Laura completed both a Master of Health Administration (MHA), and a Public Administration undergraduate program at the University of Southern California (USC). Additionally, Laura completed a Public Policy Certificate Program at the University of Michigan, and a Post-Graduate Management Fellowship at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.