California Emergency Physicians Medical Group Announces Physician-Nurse Relationship Program.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2003

California Emergency Physicians (CEP) Medical Group, located in Oakland, Calif., is pleased to announce a new best practices program aimed at sustaining strong, interactive and collaborative physician-nurse relationships. For almost thirty years, CEP has been committed to encouraging an atmosphere of mutual respect and teamwork among physicians and nurses. Recently, CEP worked closely with several of its client hospital nurse leaders to design a special Physician-Nurse Relationship Program to emphasize a team approach to emergency care. CEP believes that such a program will help its clients improve nurse recruitment and retention.

"As a Nurse Manager, I believe that the CEP Program is the first of its kind. CEP has put forward realistic and practical methods for encouraging teamwork and recognizing nurses for their contributions in the ED," says Susan Ancell from Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo.

The program holds CEP physicians to a strong teamwork standard and provides specific tools to enhance communication and team building in the emergency department. Nurse involvement in identifying and solving operational issues is encouraged both inside and outside of the ED through nurse participation in operational meetings and physician orientations, joint physician-nurse training, and nurse surveys/evaluations of physician/nurse relations. The program also includes a Nurse Leadership program that connects nurse leaders within CEP.

"CEP is committed to ensuring a strong working relationship between physicians and nurses. We understand that a team mentality and collaborative work environment is critical for maintaining a high level of quality care and patient satisfaction in our emergency departments," says Prentice Tom, MD, and Chief Medical Officer of CEP.

CEP was founded in 1975 and is the leading provider of physician staffing, management and consulting services for Emergency Departments and Ambulatory Care Centers in California. CEP is the largest democratic physician group in the country dedicated to the independent practice of emergency medicine. To date, CEP includes more than 900 providers, 49 Emergency Departments, and 20 Ambulatory Care Practices. For more information on CEP, visit their website at www.cep.com.