SCCIPA Leadership

SCCIPA President

J. Kersten Kraft MD.

Dr. Kraft has served as President of the SCCIPA since 2008. He also serves as the Chief Medical Officer of PPMSI, the MSO for SCCIPA. After spending 16 years at Stanford University (undergraduate, medical school, residency in Urology) he established his medical practice at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, more than 30 years ago. He was general partner and president of Mobile Kidney Stone Centers of California, a joint venture of physicians, physician groups and Good Samaritan Hospital, which grew to be the second largest lithotripsy operation in the country. He continues to practice Urology and is listed in Best Doctors annually. Kersten has served on the boards of APG (American Physicians Group), Health Access Solutions, and was a member of the NCQA committee for standards of specialty physician excellence.

SCCIPA Board of Directors

Peter Contini MD.

Dr. Peter Contini’s career encompasses multiple aspects of both clinical medicine and medical management. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University and completed his residency at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. Dr. Contini served in a number of clinical positions including fellow in Pediatric Endocrinology at UCSF, and as a Pediatric Hospitalist, before settling on private pediatric practice. Dr. Contini has been in private practice in San Jose since 2001. In 2009 he opened his own practice in Almaden which has expanded to include an office in Morgan Hill.

Dr. Contini has been an active member of the local community and has a broad range of leadership experience. He has served as Medical Director of the Physicians Choice Medical Group, Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, and as a member of SCCIPA’s Utilization and Management committee.

Samuel Wu MD.

Dr. Samuel Wu is a caring physician who has served the local community for over 20 years. His excellent medical skills and dedication in patients’ health have been well recognized in the medical community. Doctor Wu’s practice consists of a friendly staff team, state of the art medical equipment, and a high quality on-call team that can respond to patients’ urgent medical needs 24-7. Dr. Wu is a very personable physician. His belief of good health is a combination of a healthy diet, regular exercise, and treats the disease process before it becomes a disaster! He is specialized in diagnosing and treating disease of the adult (age 15 and up), neurological disorders, and has a special interest in managing sports recovery. His practice also provides a detailed diabetes program to enable patients managing blood sugars themselves, in addition to medication management.

Marc Zare, MD

Dr. Marc Zaré joined the SCCIPA Board of Directors in 2022. Dr. Zaré is a successful independent surgeon in Los Gatos, specializing in laparoscopic and bariatric surgery. He is a very active member in the Bay Area medical community, serving as Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital and the past chair of Board of Trustees for Good Samaritan Hospital. He served on the previous Board of Directors of SCCIPA for several years. Dr. Zaré has presented at local and national conferences and has had his been published in several books and peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Zaré completed his Graduate Medical Education at Kasturba Medical College in India, and completed his residency in General Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Zaré held a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, while serving as a Clinical Instructor of Surgery at the University of North Carolina. After completion of his training he worked as Attending Surgeon and Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery & Surgical Stimulation at Boston VA Healthcare System, while holding the position of Assistant Professor of Surgery at Boston University. He moved to California in 2007. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He also participates in endurance sports such as marathons and triathlons and was an Ironman finisher in 2016.

Pacific Partners Management Services, Inc. (PPMSI) – MSO for SCCIPA

Kersten Kraft MD. – Chief Medical Officer

Claire Tamo – Chief Executive Officer

Claire Tamo is an executive with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She started her career at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno, California, the only children’s hospital between the Bay Area and Southern California. After returning to Northern California, she continued her career in healthcare leading finance and operations teams in medical foundations, independent medical groups and management services organizations within Sutter Health, Stanford, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Shield. Claire has dedicated her career to building teams and organizations that possess a growth and customer service mindset; instilling a culture of continuous learning that strives to support clinicians in the delivery of high-quality patient care for the communities they serve. Claire holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from California State University, Fresno.

Jeff Jarrett – Chief Information Officer

Jeff Jarrett is an accomplished information technology executive with over 26 years of experience in information technology, including the last 17 years within the health care environment. He holds an undergraduate degree from Oregon State University in Business Administration and a master’s degree from Oregon Health & Science University in Managing Science & Technology. Jeff is a dedicated transformational leader who looks to leverage the use of technology to improve the daily lives of patients and the providers who deliver their care. Having recently relocated to the San Jose area from Oregon, Jeff is looking forward to getting outside and exploring all that Northern California has to offer.

Don Thompson – Chief Finance Officer

Don Thompson joined PPMSI in 2022 as the Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of Finance and Accounting experience in health care to PPMSI. Don graduated from California State University, Fullerton in Business Administration/Accounting with high honors. Don began his career as a staff auditor & controller leading a successful pathway to CFO. Don’s finance experience ranges across local and national health care systems, hospitals and he has over 20 years in the IPA Managed Care Finance and Operations. In Don’s spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Renee Mercer – Interim Associate Vice President, Claims & Customer Service

Renee Mercer is a healthcare executive with more than 30 years experience leading high performing Claims and Customer Service teams for various National Health Plans and a California MSO. Renee has also held Market facing roles leading the Commercial Group Market developing market strategy and developing high value products. Renee excels at maintaining relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, business partners, regulators, and state partners and strives to deliver best in class member, and provider experiences. Renee has a Master’s of Science Degree in Leadership and Management with a concentration in Organizational Development. Her passion lies in developing leaders so they can elevate their teams to improve overall quality and efficiency of their performance.