Gastroenterologist Sergio Flores and palliative medicine specialist Holly Yang assume leadership positions as California physicians confront reimbursement, administrative, and healthcare policy challenges.
Two San Diego physicians have been elected to leadership positions in the California Medical Association (CMA), bringing experience in medical group management, clinical practice, and organized medicine to the statewide physician organization.
Sergio R. Flores, MD, a gastroenterologist and president of Sharp Community Medical Group, was elected CMA president-elect on October 18 during the association's annual House of Delegates meeting in Sacramento. He will serve as president-elect for one year before assuming the presidency following the 2027 House of Delegates meeting.
Holly Yang, MD, a Scripps Health hospice and palliative medicine specialist, was elected vice chair of CMA's Board of Trustees. The association announced her election October 19.
Experience in Physician Leadership
Flores is a partner at San Diego Digestive Disease Consultants and serves on the Sharp HealthCare Board of Directors. He previously chaired CMA's Board of Trustees and served as president of the San Diego County Medical Society.
In remarks after his election, Flores identified implementing California's Proposition 35 as a priority. The voter-approved measure dedicates managed care organization tax revenues to specified Medi-Cal purposes, including investments intended to improve provider reimbursement and patient access.
The California Department of Health Care Services has developed supplemental payments for eligible primary and specialty care services, subject to federal approval. Implementation remains an important issue for physician practices serving Medi-Cal patients.
Yang brings experience in physician governance and medical education. In addition to her clinical work at Scripps, she co-directs the UC San Diego/Scripps Health Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program.
She chaired CMA's Governance Technical Advisory Committee, which developed reforms adopted in 2025 to streamline policy deliberations and strengthen physician participation in the association's decision-making process.
Implications for San Diego Physicians
Both physicians now serve on CMA's Executive Committee, which helps develop policy recommendations, address urgent matters, and coordinate the association's advocacy activities.
Their elections come as CMA addresses Medi-Cal financing, Medicare physician payments, insurance claims practices,s and emerging clinical technologies. These are association priorities, not necessarily individual policy positions of the newly elected officers.
For San Diego IPA physicians, the appointments create an opportunity to follow how leaders with local clinical and medical group experience address statewide practice concerns. Their effectiveness will depend on the association's collective decisions and the policies ultimately adopted or implemented.