10:18am | Four major Southern California physician groups have combined with the MemorialCare Medical Foundation to consolidate and improve their medical care services. MemorialCare is a non-profit organization that contracts with physician groups to offer patients comprehensive medical care. Two companies – Memorial Family Medicine Medical Group and Specialty Physicians – hail from Long Beach.
“Affiliation with these physician groups represents an exciting strategic development for our health system as we strive to better serve our communities and offer new options for physicians as health reforms are implemented over the next several years,” says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., president and CEO of MemorialCare Health System.
The move is expected to be finalized in January 2011, with additional medical groups possibly joining as well. The group network now includes some 120 physicians and 700 employees.
“The medical foundation is a successful model that has been adopted throughout California, allowing physicians and hospitals to work together to offer an integrated approach to health care delivery,” says Patrick Kapsner, current CEO of Bristol Park Medical Group.
Memorial Family Medicine Medical Group has locations in both San Clemente and Long Beach, offering teaching services to 24 medicine residents in addition to medical students, nurse practitioners and physician assistant students. Specialty Physicians of Long Beach is a specialty care center of five physicians that specializes in treatment of pulmonary disease, medical oncology, cardiology and nuclear imaging.