About Us

Our Purpose: To better every life we touch through the way we care

Premier Behavioral Health Center (PBH) was founded in 2016 as a Heritage Provider Network (HPN) company. PBH was created to provide services to HPN groups and contracted membership. HPN provides affordable quality healthcare through its network of medical groups for more than 35 years.

HPN founder Richard Merkin, M.D., President and CEO, is the inspiration behind this organization. As a healthcare visionary, he is focused on change and innovation – and this consistent growth is a testament to our quality as we meet the needs of our members throughout Southern California.

High Quality Standards

PBH is tasked with the development of traditional and non-traditional programs for the delivery and management of Behavioral Health (BH) and Substance Use Disorders (SUD). We actively work to exceed quality standards by delivering a 4.5+ STAR rating based on CMS guidelines.

Understanding Your Family

Since we know that everyone should have a doctor who understands their needs, culture, and speaks their language, we are proud to have the largest physician-owned network in Southern California with thousands of doctors for our members to choose from. Plus, we contract with hundreds of hospitals and other healthcare facilities, enabling our members to have confidence that their families are receiving outstanding healthcare.