Sharp HealthCare Medical Groups Recognized for "Elite" Care

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharp HealthCare's affiliated medical groups -- Sharp Rees-Stealy and Sharp Community Medical Group -- were awarded Elite Status, the highest possible designation for quality care given by the California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) as part of its 2011 Standards of Excellence program. CAPG is one of the nation's largest professional organizations of managed care physician groups.

"We are grateful to be recognized for the exceptional services and care we provide our patients every day," said Mike Murphy, the president and CEO of Sharp HealthCare. "Our affiliated doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers are on a journey to make health care better for our patients and their families. It's what we call The Sharp Experience -- the combination of advanced technology, clinical excellence and personalized care."

The Standards of Excellence program recognizes best practices among its member groups and measures their ability to support care delivery in four domains that influence patient care: care management, health information technology, accountability and transparency and patient-centered care. CAPG identified these criteria as a roadmap for the country to follow as health care reform embraces Accountable Care Organizations (ACO). Under the ACO model, hospital and physician networks would be responsible for the quality of care delivered to patients and would receive bonuses for providing high-quality, low-cost care. Of the 76 medical groups surveyed, only 26 were awarded the top Elite status. Sharp Rees-Stealy and Sharp Community Medical Group are the only groups recognized with this distinction in San Diego. 

About Sharp Rees-Stealy

Sharp Rees-Stealy is a multispecialty medical group with more than 400 primary care doctors and specialists representing virtually every field of medicine. Sharp Rees-Stealy has 19 locations throughout San Diego County and accepts most health insurance plans. Sharp Rees-Stealy is ranked one of the best medical groups in San Diego for the quality of their patient care and service by the Integrated Healthcare Association for 2011.  In addition, Sharp Rees-Stealy was recognized by the readers of The San Diego Union-Tribune as San Diego's "Best Medical Group," in their annual reader's poll.

About Sharp Community Medical Group

Sharp Community Medical Group (SCMG) is an association of private practice primary care physicians and specialists who practice in their own private offices located conveniently throughout San Diego County. The Sharp Community Medical Group network includes over 200 primary care physicians and over 700 specialists who currently provide care to more than 137,000 patients. You can expect to receive convenient, comprehensive and high-quality medical care offered by caring physicians who live in your community and are committed to excellence in your health care experience.

About Sharp HealthCare

A 2007 Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, Sharp HealthCare is San Diego's most comprehensive health care delivery system. It is recognized for clinical excellence for services in cardiac, cancer and multiorgan transplantation, as well as orthopedics, rehabilitation, behavioral health and women's health. Sharp HealthCare has been widely acclaimed for its commitment to transform the health care experience for patients, physicians and staff through an organization-wide performance improvement initiative called The Sharp Experience. The Sharp system includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, two affiliated medical groups and a health plan. To learn more about Sharp, visit www.sharp.com or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277) to choose the doctor who's right for you.

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SOURCE Sharp HealthCare