Brown & Toland Announces Board Retirement and Appointment

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown & Toland Chairman of the Board, Neal Birnbaum, M.D. will be retiring from his position effective February 28, 2019 after 10 years of service as chair and nearly two decades of service to the company.  Fabiola Cobarrubias, M.D., M.B.A., will assume the role as chair.

Dr. Birnbaum played an integral role in maintaining the independent physician practice that Brown & Toland Physicians is known for throughout the region. During his tenure, Brown & Toland was named a Medicare Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and has since become a leader in the development of ACOs across the Bay Area. Brown & Toland today boasts over 2,500 board-certified physicians, 23 in-network hospitals, and 22 urgent cares across seven counties.

"Brown & Toland's Board of Directors and administrative leaders thank Dr. Birnbaum for his vision and leadership. We feel privileged to have worked with him on the critically important matters facing healthcare over the last decade. We want to express our gratitude for all that Dr. Birnbaum has accomplished," said Kelly Robison, Brown & Toland's Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Birnbaum is an original member of Brown & Toland's physician network.  He currently serves as chief of rheumatology at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), where he was also twice-elected chief of staff. Dr. Birnbaum is clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a past president of the American College of Rheumatology.  He was named an ACR Master in 2012 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Rheumatology Alliance in 2018.  A highly respected clinician, Dr. Birnbaum remains in practice as the managing partner of Pacific Rheumatology Associates.

Dr. Birnbaum stated, "It has been very fulfilling to serve on behalf of our 2,500 physicians in Brown & Toland for all of these years.  As I continue my private practice in Brown & Toland's network, I look forward to an exciting future. I am proud of all that we have done at Brown & Toland.  I believe the membership, the board of directors and the leadership team of the company are aligned and well positioned for the future of independent physicians." While Dr. Birnbaum is stepping down from the board, his fellow board members have recognized his long tenure and many accomplishments by naming him Brown and Toland's first Board Chair Emeritus.

Dr. Cobarrubias has served on the Brown & Toland Physicians' Board for five years, and has been a practicing physician in the network for 23 years. She is an experienced physician executive with a demonstrated track record of medical group management and administration.

President and CEO of Pacific Inpatient Medical Group, Dr. Cobarrubias has board and corporate governance experience, and is a current Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Her current active board service includes NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company, a national medical professional liability carrier, and Brown & Toland Physicians in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"It is truly an honor to serve as Chair of the Brown & Toland Physicians Board of Directors and I look forward to working with the board and the leadership team. As the Bay Area navigates the complex healthcare landscape, there is now an even more compelling reason for organizations like ours to model the efficiency and affordability of quality care," noted Dr. Cobarrubias. "Clearly, physicians need a partner that is leading the way in business process solutions for private practice physicians. I'm excited for what the future holds for Brown & Toland."

About Brown & Toland Physicians 

Brown & Toland Physicians is a leading network of independent doctors focused on delivering personalized and high-quality healthcare to the San Francisco Bay Area. Its network of more than 2,500 physicians, serving more than 330,000 HMO, ACO and PPO patients, is dedicated to improving care and reducing costs through business process management including care management, care coordination programs, healthcare technology, and population health management strategies. Brown & Toland, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018, collaborates with leading hospitals and health plan providers to provide high quality care in the Bay Area. To learn more, visit www.brownandtoland.com.

SOURCE Brown & Toland Physicians

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