MemorialCare Medical Group & Greater Newport Physicians Awarded Elite Status

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. and LONG BEACH, Calif., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians—two medical groups associated with MemorialCare Medical Foundation in Southern California—were honored by the California Association for Physician Groups with the Elite Status rating of four stars, the highest rating possible for medical groups in California.

Part of the association's statewide Standards of Excellence program, it is believed to be the nation's first known, voluntary large-scale evaluation tool for medical groups.  The program measures how physician organizations improve patient quality, safety, affordability, access, communications, continuity of care, health information technology, public accountability, cultural sensitivities and responsiveness.

"In a time when health care is under the microscope, we're extremely gratified to have our efforts on behalf of our patients and physicians recognized by this highly respected organization," says Mark Schafer, MD, Chief Medical Officer for MemorialCare Medical Foundation, which is part of MemorialCare Health System. "Our physicians and staff work tirelessly to ensure our patients continually receive the highest levels of patient care available—from advanced preventive measures, comprehensive screenings and state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures and technologies to expert treatment and management of medical conditions." 

These are two of the latest honors received by physician groups associated with MemorialCare Medical Foundation, a nonprofit physician organization that contracts with physician groups in Orange and Los Angeles counties to offer comprehensive medical care to patients. The physician network, representing approximately 300 primary care physicians and 1,400 contracted specialists with 1,225 employees, serves more than 160,000 managed care patients. The Medical Foundation allows physicians and hospitals to work together toward an integrated approach to health care delivery. Its many honors include consistently being selected by Integrated Healthcare Association as one of California's top-rated physician groups. 

MemorialCare Health System in Southern California includes 11,000 employees, 2,500 affiliated physicians and six hospitals, MemorialCare Medical Foundation, numerous outpatient facilities and retail health centers. Its hospitals include Long Beach Memorial, Community Hospital Long Beach, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente.

The California Association for Physician Groups represents organizations that employ or contract with 60,000 California physicians, providing care to 15 million Californians.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System