MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians Win Excellence in Healthcare Award, California's Top Honor for Physician Organizations

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Nov 05, 2019, 10:30 ET

ORANGE and LOS ANGELES Counties, Calif., Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) named MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians (GNP) winners of its Excellence in Healthcare Award, California's top honor for physician organizations.

Mark Schafer, M.D., is CEO, MemorialCare Medical Foundation, which includes MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians with 2,300 employed and affiliated physicians. Caring for patients of all ages, the medical groups, with locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, are continually honored among Top Performing Medical Groups in California by Integrated Healthcare Association and designated as “Elite” Status by America’s Physician Groups. (PRNewsfoto/MemorialCare)

IHA Excellence in Healthcare Award recognizes physician organizations achieving top marks on quality and patient experience measures while managing costs. To earn this recognition, physician organizations must perform in the top 50 percent on clinical quality, patient experience and total cost of care. Only 30 of nearly 200 participating physician organizations statewide were chosen.

"We're proud of our 2,500 associated physicians and hundreds of nurses and other clinicians and support staff who provide the highest quality, most compassionate care to the hundreds of thousands of patients who entrust their care to us," says Mark Schafer, M.D., CEO, MemorialCare Medical Foundation which includes MemorialCare Medical Group and GNP.

In commending top performers IHA President and CEO Jeff Rideout, M.D. adds, "IHA is proud to recognize physician organizations truly leading the way to high-quality, affordable, patient-centered care. Being measured publicly is a huge commitment to high performance and performance improvement for physician organizations participating in IHA's programs; demonstrating excellence takes that commitment much further."

For example, if all participating physician groups performed at the same level as Excellence in Healthcare Award winners:

An additional 49,000 California patients with diabetes would have their blood sugar controlled, helping to lower their risk of adverse health outcomes.
503,000 more California patients would rate their overall care quality a 9 or a 10, with 10 the highest score.
Healthcare savings would be about $1.8 billion—or about $210 less spending on average per enrollee annually.

MemorialCare Medical Group and GNP's accomplishments highlight the persistent performance advantage of integrated versus non-integrated care on quality and total cost of care. On average, physician organizations participating in IHA's performance measurement programs show consistent impressive gains in quality year over year.

This is among many accolades for MemorialCare physician organizations. Pacific Business Group on Health Patient Assessment Survey rated MemorialCare Medical Group and GNP in the 98^th percentile for patient care, including top rankings in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Both earned America's Physician Groups' Standard of Excellence Elite Status 10 consecutive years, and IHA Medicare Advantage Award four star rankings. MemorialCare Medical Group was also voted among top two medical groups in Orange County by Orange County Register readers.

MemorialCare, national leader in value-based care, includes 200+ care locations; among the West's two largest hospital campuses: Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach; top community hospitals Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills; centers for teaching physicians, nurses and other clinicians; MemorialCare Medical Group, Greater Newport Physicians; and region's largest network of urgent care, imaging, surgery, dialysis and health centers. Honors include Best U.S. Health Systems, Top Workplaces, Largest U.S. Children's Hospitals, Top 50 Hospitals, Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals and more. U.S. News & World Report recognized MemorialCare hospitals 30 times as "high performing" in several clinical categories and national rankings for 2019 and past years. Readers of Orange County Register and Press-Telegram rated MemorialCare Hospitals as Best in Orange County and Greater Long Beach. Visit www.memorialcare.org.

Integrated Healthcare Association convenes organizations to utilize objective data and insights that align California's healthcare industry around best ways to deliver high-quality, affordable and patient-centered care. IHA is guided by a board of industry-leading health plans, physician organizations, hospitals, health systems and representatives from purchaser, consumer, academic, pharmaceutical and technology organizations.

SOURCE MemorialCare Medical Group