Born in Annapolis and raised in Northern California, Michael is the second child of Renato and Nenita Inabangan Almanzor. Renato hails from Batangas and was studying law at the University of the East when he was convinced by on-campus recruiters to enlist in the US Navy in 1957. While stationed in Brooklyn, Renato met Nenita, a native of Leyte, who worked for the Philippine Consulate in New York. They married in 1963 and were blessed with four sons, Renato Jr., Michael, Rene and Christopher.

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Michael took up Business Administration at the California State University in Los Angeles and earned his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from California State University in San Bernardino. He worked as an accountant for several firms for more than seven years before he transferred to the health care industry.

The move came as a result of a blessing in disguise. "In 1995, I was already Accounting Manager in another industry when I got laid off," recalled Michael. "I had no insurance, no job, and my wife, Janine, was pregnant. So, I took an entry level job in a hospital."

After two years, Michael moved on and became a business analyst for North American Medical Management, and then Site Administrator of KPC Global Care, a physician practice management company. From 2002 -2007, he was Site Controller at the Valley Health System, a 519-bed acute hospital system in Hemet, CA. Then, in 2007, he applied for the position of Controller at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and was accepted.

"I didn’t know much about HPMC when I joined. It was a nice surprise for me to learn that there are so many Filipinos working in the hospital," Michael said.

Yes, Filipinos can truly feel so at home at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center where almost 60 percent of the staff are Filipinos. An acute-care facility that has been caring for the Hollywood community and surrounding areas since 1924, HPMC is now owned and operated by CHA Health Systems, led by Dr.Kwang Yul Cha, an internationally known Korean fertility specialist. CHA Health Systems owns and operates four acute care hospitals in Korea with approximately 2,000 beds, two specialty clinics for Oriental medicine, a medical university and a cell and gene therapy research institute, two fertility medical centers in the US and Korea, including the CHA Fertility Center in Los Angeles.

With more than 430 physicians representing virtually every specialty, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center strives to distinguish itself as a leading health care provider, recognized for providing quality, innovative care to a diverse, multi-ethnic community.

Michael talked about HPMC and its strengths. "HPMC is a medical center that works to meet the needs of the community, whether rich or poor, of all ethnic backgrounds. Our audacious goal is to be the most trusted hospital in LA by 2012. It may be difficult to measure but the key to its success is the excellent leadership that Dr. Cha has put in place here," Michael explained. "There’s an experienced management team that runs the facility. Our CEO is Jeff Nelson, the leader of the team. The Chief Nursing Officer is Kathy Wojno and the Chief Finance Officer is Galan Gorman, who is my boss. They are excellent professionals who do all a lot of mentoring."

Expounding on the way HPMC earns the trust of the community, Michael said, "Customer service is key. We identify the areas and things that attract patients. We want everyone to feel welcome when they are here. To know that we are sensitive to their needs and do our best to take care of them. We’re training our employees to improve the level of our customer service everyday. To remain competitive, we also try to recruit and attract the best doctors. Doctors who are willing to partner with us and with whom we can have a beneficial relationship."

Obviously, Michael loves his job and he eagerly explains the many reasons why. "HPMC is a for-profit hospital so there is much more urgency here. The opportunity to act and effect change is now because we have accountability with the owner who is expecting things from us. My job is satisfying because the information I produce is being paid attention to; more attention is being paid to finances. It is admittedly a stressful job but I manage my stress. It is demanding too, because you have to make a profit while at the same time you have to meet the needs of the community. Another thing I enjoy about my job here is the cultural diversity. Working in the hospital among people of diverse cultures—Filipinos, Hispanics, Thais, Koreans, Caucasians—you learn how to understand and appreciate the different cultures. It is exciting and very challenging because health care changes so easily. That’s what I like about financial management in the hospital. Health care is never boring. There are new processes, new ways of doing things—you have to keep evolving. It’s so complex; you have to stay informed and aware. It’s so competitive here in this area in LA. You have to be able to find your niche, your identity. Be what you are best at."