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Scripps Health Named to Fortune Magazine’s National "100 Best Companies to Work For" List in 2012

2012-01-19T10:43:25-08:00

Scripps Health has been named to Fortune magazine’s 15th annual list of America’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Scripps ranked No. 56 on this year’s list and is the second San Diego-based company to make the list since the list’s inception in 1998, joining Qualcomm.

“Scripps is honored to be acknowledged for the fifth time by Fortune as one of America’s top employers,” said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps. “This accomplishment reflects the importance we place on our employees and how we strive to create a culture of excellence that makes them feel secure, appreciated and empowered.”

Fortune recognized Scripps for its practice of avoiding layoffs. In the rare occurrence that a position is eliminated at Scripps due to changing business needs, staff members can continue earning their base pay and benefits while the Scripps Career Resource Center (CRC) assists them in searching for a position within Scripps or outside of the organization.

“While other hospitals and health systems across the country have resorted to job cuts and the elimination of services during these challenging times, Scripps has made a commitment to preserving jobs and avoiding layoffs,” said Victor Buzachero, corporate senior vice president of innovation, human resources and performance management for Scripps. “The CRC has helped us retain highly skilled employees and avoid the high costs of severance pay and turnover.”

Scripps designed and implemented the CRC well before the downturn in the economy and has actively kept it in place during the recession. Since its inception, more than 700 employees have participated in the CRC with job placements in or outside of the organization.

Richelle Ward, who has worked for Scripps for 10 years, learned her department was closing in August 2010.

“The CRC helped me look for another position and provided tools and information for my job search,” said Ward. “My department was like a second family and the transition was a difficult time. However, the CRC helped me through it and I benefited from their support, knowledge and individualized assistance. In the end, I had three possible job opportunities to choose from and I love the one that I chose.”

The list will appear in the Feb. 6 issue of Fortune, and the full list is now available online. To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 280 firms participated in this year’s survey. More than 246,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world.

The Fortune magazine ranking comes on the heels of four other national accolades Scripps Health has received for workplace excellence. In its 2011 listing, AARP ranked Scripps at the top employer in the country for its 50 Best Employers for Workers Over 50. This was the seventh consecutive year Scripps was named to this list. Working Mother magazine named Scripps number 11 on its 2011 list of America’s 100 Best Companies for its family-friendly policies, making it the seventh consecutive year Scripps has made the list. Also in 2011, the E-Learning organization named Scripps fifth in the nation for enterprise learning and Becker’s Hospital Review named Scripps among the 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare.

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif.

La Jolla Radiology Medical Group Joins Scripps

2011-12-01T14:18:25-08:00

Scripps Health announced today that the 27 physicians of the highly regarded La Jolla Radiology Medical Group are joining Scripps Clinic Medical Group in a deal completed today to offer comprehensive radiology services at Scripps facilities across the region.

“This is an ideal partnership based on a mutual goal for excellence in care,” said Robert Sarnoff, president of Scripps Clinic Medical Group. “This partnership will provide additional resources to the comprehensive level of care we provide our patients.”

Scripps Clinic includes more than 400 physicians practicing in more than 50 areas of medicine and surgery. Scripps Health contracts for the exclusive services of the Scripps Clinic Medical Group physicians through the Scripps Medical Foundation.

Physicians of the former La Jolla Radiology Medical Group will continue to provide patient services in locations throughout the county, including La Jolla, Encinitas and Chula Vista.

The La Jolla Radiology Medical Group has had a long-standing relationship with Scripps Health, and a solid history of quality care. Many of the group’s physicians have been recognized by their peers as some of the top doctors in the county. These well-respected physicians provide their patients with a variety of imaging services, including interventional radiology; oncology therapies; and women’s health imaging, including bone density screening and mammograms.

“We are looking forward to continuing our radiology practice as part of Scripps Clinic,” said Ross Christensen , former president of La Jolla Radiology Medical Group. “This partnership allows us to continue to provide the highest level of care to the San Diego community in conjunction with the mission of Scripps.”

Seven medical groups have joined Scripps since 2008, including La Jolla Radiology Medical Group, Sharp Mission Park Medical Group, Penn Elm Medical Group, Del Mar Medical Clinic, North Coast Women’s Care, North County OB-GYN Medical Group and Del Mar Family Practice.

Flu Vaccine Myths That Could Make You Sick

2011-11-08T13:55:06-08:00

As many as one in five Americans get the flu each year, and more than 200,000 are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications. The best way to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated. Despite these indisputable facts, one in three adults plan to skip the flu shot this year, according to a telephone poll conducted by Opinion Research/Select Medical.

“Some don’t believe the flu is a real threat to them. Others don’t trust the vaccine to do its job,” says Dan Dworsky, MD, medical director for Scripps Clinic and Scripps Coastal Medical Center in San Diego, California. “It’s unfortunate that there is still a lot of misinformation about the flu and vaccines designed to protect the public from it.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone ages six months or older get vaccinated. Every season, Dr. Dworsky leads a campaign to vaccinate and educate patients and staff. That effort includes dispelling flu vaccine myths like these:

Myth #1. The flu vaccine can give you the flu.

The injectable influenza vaccine is composed of inactivated virus particles, so it can’t transmit infection, according to Dr. Dworsky. “It’s still possible for someone to get the flu in the days following vaccination,” he says. “It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza.”

The side effects of the vaccine could also be to blame for this myth. All vaccines stimulate the immune system and can occasionally cause mild muscle aches and a low-grade fever. “These symptoms are very rare, mild in nature and are nothing compared to influenza illness,” Dr. Dworsky emphasizes.

Myth #2. The flu vaccine is dangerous.

“The flu vaccine is extremely safe for most people,” asserts Dr. Dworsky. “That being said, there are certain populations that are at special risk.” If you have a severe, (life-threatening) allergy to eggs or have had Guillain-Barré syndrome, the CDC recommends you skip the seasonal shot. People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting the flu vaccine.

Myth #3. If you are young and healthy, you don’t need to get vaccinated.

Even if you are not at risk for severe complications from the flu, you can still pay a hefty price if you get it. Having the flu can result in a significant loss of work time. “Some people need up to 10 days off in order to recover,” says Dr. Dworsky.

Vaccines also create herd immunity. Because influenza is transmitted from person to person, when a critical mass of community members is immunized against it, most members of the community are protected because there are fewer sick people passing the illness to others. “Think of it like tic-tac-toe,” explains Dr. Dworsky. “The more Xs on the grid, the less likely you are able to get three 0s in a row.”

Myth #4. The vaccine isn’t effective.

The flu shot isn’t 100 percent effective at guarding against the flu. In fact, a study published in The Lancet examined the efficacy of the most popular flu shot in the United States—the trivalent inactivated vaccine. The results indicated it was effective about 59 percent of the time.

“That’s less effective than previously thought. But the findings shouldn’t discourage people from getting the vaccine or derail the ongoing efforts to immunize people against influenza,” says Dr. Dworsky. “The flu vaccine needs improvement, but it remains the best defense we have against a potentially lethal disease.”

Where can you get a flu shot?

If you are a patient at Scripps Clinic or Scripps Coastal Medical Center, call your doctor to find out about upcoming flu clinics at primary care locations throughout San Diego. Open on Saturdays, the clinics provide an opportunity to get vaccinated quickly and without an appointment.
Go to www.flu.gov. Type in your zip code and you’ll find a list of local pharmacies, grocery stores and clinics that offer flu vaccinations.

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National Proton Therapy Leader Selected as Director of Scripps Proton Therapy Center

2011-11-08T15:19:43-08:00

Dr. Carl J. Rossi, Jr. has joined Scripps Clinic Medical Group (SCMG) as medical director of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center, a $220 million cancer treatment and research facility being built in the Carroll Canyon area of Mira Mesa that is expected to open in spring 2013.

Before joining Scripps, Rossi spent the past 20 years as chief of genito-urinary and lymphoma radiation oncology services at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) in Loma Linda, Calif. At LLUMC, Rossi treated more than 9,000 prostate cancer patients with proton therapy — more than any other physician in the world for that tumor site.

For the past 19 years, Rossi also served as facility director of Loma Linda University Radiation Medicine in Ridgecrest, Calif. He has been an associate professor of radiation oncology at LLUMC for the past decade.

SCMG will oversee medical services at Scripps Proton Therapy Center, and Scripps Health will provide its clinical management services. The facility is being developed by Advanced Particle Therapy (APT), LLC, of San Diego. APT has arranged the financing to build the center and purchase the proton therapy equipment from Varian Medical Systems. Additionally, APT will manage and maintain the building and equipment.

During his career, Rossi has been a leader in a variety of investigations of proton radiation therapy, with a special focus on prostate cancer. He has developed protocols, conducted studies and written peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on proton treatment for prostate cancer.

As medical director of Scripps Proton Therapy Center, Rossi will be responsible for the facility’s technical and clinical operations. This includes recruiting the center’s clinical staff, establishing training guidelines, integrating patient care quality initiatives and developing clinical trials to optimize therapies for various diagnoses. Rossi also will help foster collaboration with other cancer care providers and researchers in San Diego and with other proton centers nationwide.

Rossi completed his undergraduate education at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., where he majored in biology. He received his doctor of medicine degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill., before serving his internship and residency at LLUMC.

Construction on the Scripps Proton Therapy Center began in October 2010. The 102,000-square-foot facility – which will be just the second such center west of the Rockies – will have the maximum capacity to treat approximately 2,400 patients annually. It is being built on a 7-acre site at 9577 Summers Ridge Road.

There are currently nine proton therapy patient treatment centers operating in the United States. They are located in Loma Linda, Calif. (opened 1991); Boston, Mass. (opened 2002); Bloomington, Ind. (opened 2004); Houston, Texas (opened 2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (opened 2006); Oklahoma City, Okla. (opened 2009); Philadelphia, Penn. (opened 2010); Hampton, Va. (opened 2010); and Warrenville, Ill. (opened 2010).

Installation of the center’s superconducting cyclotron – the technological driving force behind the facility – began in October 2011. Later this year, the beam transport system and other equipment will be installed in patient treatment rooms. Meanwhile, the cyclotron will undergo testing to meet various acceptance criteria under the guidance of a team of engineers, physicists, software engineers and other experts.

Scripps Proton Therapy Center will include five treatment rooms, three of which will include gantries, which are three-story, 360-degree rotational machines designed to deliver the therapeutic beam at the precise angle prescribed by the physician. The other two treatment rooms will have fixed-beam machines. The center will also offer MRI, CT and PET/CT imaging services in support of proton therapy; 16 patient exam rooms; and offices for 14 physicians.

For certain cancers, proton therapy offers a more precise and aggressive approach to destroying cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, compared to conventional X-ray radiation. Proton therapy involves the use of a controlled beam of protons to target tumors with control and precision unavailable in other radiation therapies. The precise delivery of proton energy limits damage to healthy surrounding tissue and allows for a more potent and effective dose of radiation to be used.

Patients will be able to access this treatment through a referral to a specialist credentialed by the Scripps Proton Therapy Center. Proton therapy has an established history of reimbursement by Medicare and private health care payers.

A non-invasive treatment, proton beam therapy is usually performed on an outpatient basis and is considered most effective on solid, deep-seated tumors that are localized and have not spread to distant areas of the body.

Varian will equip the facility with a fully integrated ProBeam proton therapy system. The center’s superconducting cyclotron will feature pencil-beam (or spot) scanning, which allows for modulation of the proton beam’s intensity. This allows doctors to precisely shape the dose distribution to concentrate on the targeted tumor while minimizing exposure of normal healthy tissue.

With proton therapy, patients typically receive approximately 30 treatments during a four- to six-week period. Each treatment lasts for approximately 15 to 25 minutes, after which the patient is free to carry on with daily activities.

In addition to providing patient care, Scripps expects to be at the forefront of new and developing clinical applications as part of its proton practice and connection with other national centers.

Radiation generated by the proton therapy system will be contained by installing the equipment in a bunker with concrete up to 15 feet thick. Two completely independent monitoring systems are also being installed to ensure safe operation. A personnel protection system (PPS) will monitor the safety of individuals inside the facility. Additional radiation monitors are being installed outside the facility to prevent environmental exposure.

With more than 300 affiliated physicians, Scripps Cancer Center is a nationally recognized leader in cancer care, providing comprehensive care at its four hospitals and various Scripps Clinic locations. Scripps Cancer Center seeks to provide the best possible treatment and cutting-edge research trials for patients by coordinating medical expertise in the areas of clinical cancer care, community outreach and clinical, translational and basic research.

Scripps is the only cancer care provider in San Diego to earn network accreditation from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Scripps has also earned accreditation in radiation therapy from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR).

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif.

FDA Approves First Artificial Aortic Heart Valve Placed Without Open-Heart Surgery

2011-11-03T15:51:45-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first catheter-based aortic heart valve replacement without the need for open-heart surgery in the U.S. — and Scripps Health was one of the 26 sites in the nation for this revolutionary clinical trial.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) enables multi-disciplinary heart teams to replace a patient’s diseased aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat — avoiding the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

“I believe the transcatheter heart valve will revolutionize heart valve surgery by giving patients who are at high risk for open heart surgery a much less complicated way to replace their diseased and poorly functioning aortic valve,” said Scripps interventional cardiologist Paul Teirstein, MD. “This new technique has been proven to extend patients’ lives and enhances their day-to-day life activities. In my experience, patients feel like they have turned the clock back 10 years.”

Annually, about 300,000 people in the United States need a heart valve replacement, but nearly half of them do not receive one because they’re too sick to tolerate conventional open heart surgery. Transcatheter aortic heart valve surgery uses a small, collapsible heart valve, packaged within a balloon-expandable stent, similar to what is used routinely to open and reinforce coronary blood vessels. Using advanced imaging techniques and only small incisions, the new valve is guided and placed through an artery in the leg or the chest wall. These techniques obviate the need for a major open heart surgery.

“This procedure represents a new treatment option for heart valve replacement that is less invasive, safer and more cost effective compared to open heart surgery,” said Dr. Teirstein. “It can potentially improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of heart patients suffering with severe aortic stenosis.”

One individual who has shown great promise of benefitting from a TAVR is Ruth Bradshaw, an 87-year-old retired elementary school teacher. Bradshaw was diagnosed with a serious aortic valve problem several years ago. With increasing shortness of breath and multiple fainting episodes, the El Cajon resident was in dire need of valve replacement surgery. Her health history combined with her age made traditional open heart surgery significantly more risky.

Dr. Teirstein and cardiothoracic surgeon Scot Brewster, MD, performed Bradshaw’s percutaneous heart valve replacement on March 15, 2011, at Scripps Green Hospital. Using advanced imaging techniques and only small incisions, the physicians guided a small, collapsible heart valve up to Bradshaw’s heart through an artery in her leg. The procedure is similar to what is used routinely to open and reinforce coronary blood vessels.

Within 48 hours, she was walking around, eating solid food, and feeling “pretty good.” She was discharged from the hospital just three days after her procedure.

Now on a speedy road to recovery, Bradshaw is busy making lunch date plans with her friends, and has returned to her Jazzercise classes and is playing golf again.

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif.

San Diego’s First Cyclotron Installed Oct. 28 at Scripps Proton Therapy Center

2011-10-28T09:04:18-07:00

San Diego—Cancer care in San Diego County took a major step forward today with the start of installation of the region’s first cyclotron — a remarkable piece of medical equipment that will be the driving force behind the Scripps Proton Therapy Center, and one of only a small handful of such proton therapy medical devices and delivery systems in the United States.

Manufactured by Varian Medical Systems of Palo Alto, Calif., the 90-ton cyclotron is about the same weight as a fully loaded 737 jetliner, but just 6 feet high and 9 feet wide. The cyclotron’s job is to accelerate protons to extremely fast speeds — roughly 100,000 miles per second or 0.61 times the speed of light — to create a beam that can precisely reach tumors, even if deeply seated and located near critical organs. These beams can also be shaped in three dimensions to avoid surrounding healthy tissues, targeting tumors with unprecedented accuracy.

Made predominantly of extremely pure iron to optimize magnetic power, the cyclotron uses water and electricity to create a plasma stream, from which protons are extracted. Protons are then accelerated by the magnetic energy between the upper and lower halves of the cyclotron — the force of which is equivalent to 200 tons. The protons are then sent through a beam transport system using a series of electromagnets to steer the beams for delivery to patient treatment rooms.

Construction on the 102,000-square-foot center began in October 2010, and is expected to be open for patient care by spring 2013. The Scripps Proton Therapy Center will have the capacity to treat approximately 2,400 patients annually. It is being built on a 7-acre site in the Carroll Canyon area of Mira Mesa, at 9577 Summers Ridge Road.

There are currently nine proton therapy patient treatment centers operating in the U.S., and just one west of the Rockies. They are located in Loma Linda, Calif. (opened 1991); Boston, Mass. (opened 2002); Bloomington, Ind. (opened 2004); Houston, Texas (opened 2006); Jacksonville, Fla. (opened 2006); Oklahoma City, Okla. (opened 2009); Philadelphia, Penn. (opened 2010); Hampton, Va. (opened 2010); and Warrenville, Ill. (opened 2010).

The cyclotron has taken an extraordinary journey from inception to installation in San Diego. It was manufactured and tested in Troisdorf, Germany over a 20-month period by a team of about three dozen engineers, physicists, electricians, welders and others with specialized expertise. It was then shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal and into Port Hueneme, just north of Los Angeles. From there it was transported via two specialized 200-foot-long, 19-axel trailers, to evenly distribute the exceptionally heavy load.

After arriving at the Scripps Proton Therapy Center, the cyclotron will be lifted in two separate sections, using a specially designed crane that is usually deployed to move heavy industrial equipment weighing up to 1,000 tons. During the course of two straight workdays, the cyclotron will be painstakingly aligned into place, due largely to the sub-millimeter accuracy required of its placement.

Following the cyclotron’s installation, the beam transport system and other equipment will be installed in patient treatment rooms. Meanwhile, the cyclotron will undergo testing to meet various acceptance criteria under the guidance of a team of engineers, physicists, software engineers and other experts.

Scripps Proton Therapy Center will include five treatment rooms, three of which will include gantries, which are three-story, 360-degree rotational machines designed to deliver the therapeutic beam at the precise angle prescribed by the physician. Each gantry weighs 280 tons. The other two treatment rooms will have fixed-beam machines. The center will also offer MRI, CT and PET/CT imaging services in support of proton therapy; 16 patient exam rooms; and offices for 14 physicians.

The facility is being developed by Advanced Particle Therapy (APT), LLC of San Diego and will be operated by Scripps Health and Scripps Clinic Medical Group. Scripps Health will provide clinical management services to the center and Scripps Clinic Medical Group will oversee the medical services. APT has arranged the financing to build the center and purchase the proton therapy equipment from Varian Medical Systems. Additionally, APT will manage and maintain the building and equipment. The architect and general contractor for the center is The Haskell Company of Jacksonville, Fla., one of the nation’s leading design-builders of health care facilities.

Nearly 80,000 people worldwide have received proton therapy at centers in Europe, Asia and the United States. Patients typically receive approximately 30 treatments during a four- to six-week period. Each treatment lasts for approximately 15-25 minutes, after which the patient is free to carry on with daily affairs.

In addition to providing patient care, Scripps expects to be at the forefront of new and developing clinical applications as part of its proton practice and connection with other national centers.

About Scripps Cancer Center

About Scripps Health

Learn more about Scripps Health, a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif.

Living Kidney Transplant Transforms Two Lives

2011-10-20T14:07:34-07:00

Scripps is one of Southern California’s premier transplant centers and has provided living kidney and liver transplants to patients such as Mike Sedgwick for more than 20 years. Mike, a pastor, received a living kidney donation from one of his congregation members, Gary Wasserman, after receiving dialysis treatments for more than four years.

Learn more about how Scripps is transforming medicine.

Scripps Clinic Invitational Golf Tournament Tees Off in October

2011-10-17T12:33:36-07:00

The 43rd Annual Scripps Clinic Invitational Golf Tournament is set for Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, at Torrey Pines South Golf Course, home of the memorable 2008 U.S. Open Championship and annual Farmer’s Insurance Open. Since 1969, Scripps Clinic Invitational Golf Tournament has raised millions of dollars to support lifesaving care at Scripps Clinic and Scripps Green Hospital.

In anticipation of this exclusive amateur tournament, Scripps Clinic will host the annual Invitational Dinner at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011, at 6 p.m. Golfers and guests will enjoy picturesque landscapes, gourmet dining, live entertainment and the opportunity to bid on lavish items during live and silent auctions. This year’s auction items include: two Eagles concert tickets and hotel stay at the M Resort in Las Vegas; two Celine Dion concert tickets and hotel stay at the M Resort in Las Vegas; and a private gourmet dinner with wine for 10 at Pamplemousse Grille.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the new Scripps Radiation Therapy Center on the Torrey Pines Mesa. The new facility will be equipped with highly sophisticated technology that is powerful, fast and flexible, allowing physicians to treat patients with greater precision and in less time than traditional approaches.

When complete, the Scripps Radiation Therapy Center will have the capacity to treat approximately 1,200 patients annually. The center will serve patients primarily from Scripps’ five hospital campuses and 23 outpatient centers in a healing and supportive environment.

For tickets or to learn more about the golf tournament and celebration dinner, please call 858-678-6814 or visit the event website: www.scrippsclinicgolf.org.

Contact: Lisa Valentino
Phone: 858-678-6894
E-mail: valentino.lisa@scrippshealth.org

Highly Respected Breast Surgeon Mary Wilde, MD, Joins Scripps Clinic Medical Group

2011-10-07T16:04:31-07:00

SAN DIEGO (Oct. 6, 2011) – Mary Wilde, a surgical specialist in diseases of the breast, joined Scripps Clinic on Oct. 1, 2011.

Dr. Wilde joins more than 400 Scripps Clinic physicians practicing in more than 50 areas of medicine and surgery. Scripps Health contracts for the exclusive services of the Scripps Clinic Medical Group physicians through the Scripps Medical Foundation.

Dr. Wilde is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has a long-standing relationship with Scripps Health as the medical director of the Scripps Polster Breast Care Center at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla .

“Dr. Wilde is a highly respected physician in the San Diego medical community and an excellent addition to our network of physicians,” said Robert Sarnoff president of Scripps Clinic Medical Group. “Dr. Wilde will now have additional resources to further her commitment to providing the best care for her patients.”

Dr. Wilde earned a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University, where she was a member of a primate facility work group under the direction of famed researcher Jane Goodall.

After receiving her medical degree from University of California, San Francisco, she completed her postdoctoral training at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She was a research assistant at Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute and an instructor in surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Scripps will purchase the assets of the practice, which will remain at its current location at Suite 510 in the XiMED building on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla .

Current patients of Dr. Wilde will see no change in access to care. Her practice will continue to coordinate their medical needs during the transition and beyond.

“This is an ideal partnership for future patient care,” said Dr. Wilde. “Scripps is a strong organization with a well-deserved reputation for delivering care of the highest quality, and I am very impressed with its commitment to the most advanced level of breast care. I look forward to continuing to care for my patients under the Scripps Clinic name.”

Scripps Health has acquired six medical groups since 2008. Previous acquisitions include Sharp Mission Park Medical Group, Penn Elm Medical Group, Del Mar Medical Clinic, North Coast Women’s Care, North County OB-GYN Medical 8Group and Del Mar Family Practice.

ABOUT SCRIPPS HEALTH
Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $2.3 billion nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, Calif. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 13,000 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of physician offices and 23 outpatient centers and clinics. Scripps is at the forefront of clinical research, genomic medicine, wireless health and graduate medical education. With three highly respected graduate medical education programs, Scripps is a longstanding member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. More information can be found at www.scripps.org.

Genomics Studies Help Personalize Medicine

2011-10-13T11:49:41-07:00

Scripps is the first health care organization to undertake a large-scale genetic study aimed at helping patients understand their genetic health risk factors so they can take positive steps toward living a healthy lifestyle.

Learn more about how Scripps is transforming medicine.