Physician leadership & culture of innovation help medical group thrive. (Special Advertising Profile: Health Care Partners).

In today's economic climate, it is no mean feat for a medical group to consistently win kudos for the high quality of medical care it provides. While other major California medical groups have gone bankrupt or dissolved, HealthCare Partners both survives and thrives, maintaining financial stability while winning the highest marks of all medical groups in Los Angeles for patient satisfaction with its services.

HealthCare Partners Medical Group was founded in 1992, but the collective experience of its medical partners and physicians spans nearly 40 years. The company has evolved and grown continually stronger since its inception, merging with several innovative Southern California medical groups and independent physician association (IPA) networks.

Unlike other groups whose mergers have led to failure, HealthCare Partners has carefully managed its growth, strategizing for geographic coverage, financial stability and, most important, a physician culture devoted to delivering high quality health care. The medical group consistently leads the rankings in PacifiCare's Quality Index Profile and has won the Pacific Business Group on Health's Blue Ribbon Award for leadership and excellence in physician group performance for the past two years. The Quality Index Profile reports participating physician group performance in California in selected clinical and service quality areas, affordability and administrative accuracy. (PacifiCare notes in its Quality Index Profile that the quality of a health care provider directly affects the quality of care given to patients.)

HealthCare Partners Medical Group is now comprised of more than 350 physicians practicing medicine from 28 neighborhood offices and four urgent care centers throughout Los Angeles County, making the group a major provider of primary care services and the largest single provider of medical care to seniors in Southern California. Physicians and operations are assisted by some 2,125 employees. Supported by its affiliated physician practice management company (HealthCare Partners Ltd.), HealthCare Partners Medical Group has emerged as a leader in providing high-quality, affordable health care to both fee-for-service and managed care patients.

Together, the medical group and IPA doctors serve more than 400,000 patients in five major Los Angeles County regions: Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley, Greater Los Angeles, South Bay, Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley. The company provides medical services under the names HealthCare Partners Medical Group, Memorial Medical Group, Greater Valley Medical Group, Alliance/Unified IPA, HealthCare Partners Provider Network and Greater Valley IPA.

"We are a medical group owned and operated by physicians," said Robert Margolis, MD, Chief Executive Officer. "We take very seriously our vision statement affirming that we are dedicated to the well-being and the respectful, compassionate healing of our patients and their communities."

CEO Margolis maintains that because physicians are active at all levels of management in the company, they are involved in developing the systems they need to provide good care in the managed care environment. "Our clinicians and staff have created systems that work for us and our patients -- whether managed care or private pay," reports Margolis.

HealthCare Partners' management of services in five separate regions allows care to be tailored to the needs of the local communities. A team comprised of a medical director, operational vice-president, and care management vice-president leads each region. Clinicians are also in charge of quality improvements and a lead physician manages clinical affairs in each patient care office.

"The goal is to establish administrative processes and clinical systems for effective patient care, standardizing what we do for improved efficiency," said Dr. Margolis. "As an organization, we are sensitive to the need to adapt quickly to the ever-changing demands of the health care environment. As physician leaders, we are also sensitive to the needs of both patients and doctors: to let doctors practice medicine in partnership with their patients. We believe that managed care systems require the informed consent and active involvement of patients."

Taking lessons from industries outside of healthcare, the medical group strategically focuses on progressive management techniques, the incorporation of proven technology into its operations and clinical care delivery systems, and enhanced communications at all levels of the organization. This demonstrated commitment sharply differentiates HealthCare Partners from other medical groups, making it unique in terms of both corporate culture and management.

Based on the premise that people support what they help to build, HealthCare Partners brings together physicians and staff members -- from hospital intensivists to frontline receptionists -- to learn more about both business and clinical processes and how each affects the other. As a result of advanced problem solving and team work, many obstacles to optimal care have been turned into process improvements: for example, the company's "Premier Appointments" scheduling system allows patients to see their own doctors on the day that they call; patients benefit from an expedited referral process that will authorize specialty services the same day in most cases; and the flow of patients through medical offices has been greatly improved.

The same problem-solving techniques have been used to develop a wide range of clinical strategies and programs to provide appropriate, evidence-based care to the medical group's patients while stressing the delivery of preventive care. These strategies include a program to proactively improve the overall care coordination for patients who frequently use services such as emergency rooms, hospital admissions, and/or multiple referrals to various specialists; a hospitalist system wherein the company's hospital physicians perform independent assessments of HealthCare Partners' emergency room patients to ensure that their patients get the care they need; and disease management programs for patients with specific chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes.

"Our pursuit of excellence has made a difference. It changes the context in which we work," said Dr. Margolis. "Each innovation creates a better environment for our patients, resulting in greater patient satisfaction."

HealthCare Partners Medical Group has led the Los Angeles area in patient satisfaction (as measured by the California Consumer Assessment Survey) for the past two years, an impressive achievement for a medical group caring for almost half a million patients each year. The California Consumer Assessment Survey is a statewide survey that provides accurate, comparable physician group performance data and is conducted by the California Collaborative HealthCare Reporting Initiative and the Pacific Business Group on Health (a coalition of employer groups). Margolis believes that the excellent ratings received by HealthCare Partners are a reflection of the medical group's commitment to both high-quality healthcare and patient satisfaction.

"The awards we've won for consistently providing outstanding medical care to our patients are one measure of success. Patient satisfaction is another. Our doctors really listen to patients," avers Dr. Margolis. "Excellent care begins with the bond of trust between doctor and patient Our service strategies and staff/physician training sessions focus on building that bond of trust through improved communications.

"The healthcare industry is a complex and turbulent business. We take great pride in our evolution into a learning organization, able to work creatively to adapt to change," continued Dr. Margolis. "This is not only a strategy for producing good results, we believe it is a strategy for organizational excellence and our continued success."

For additional information about HealthCare Partners call the Communications/Marketing Dept. at [phone] or visit www.healthcarepartners.com.