Three Scripps-Affiliated Medical Groups Form Scripps Physicians Medical Group

Three large Scripps Health-affiliated medical groups — San Diego Physicians Medical Group, Connect-the-Docs Multi-Specialty Network and XIMED Medical Group — have joined together to create a new integrated physician organization partnering exclusively with Scripps Health.

The new group, Scripps Physicians Medical Group, includes more than 500 primary care and specialty physicians with offices throughout San Diego County. Scripps Physicians will partner with Scripps Health in managed care and preferred provider organization (PPO) insurance contracts. Scripps Health has licensed its name and brand identity to the new group to signify the exclusive partnership relationship between the two organizations.

Scripps Physicians recently signed its first payer contract with Health Net for Medicare Advantage managed care in collaboration with Scripps Health.

“We are excited about the opportunities that this new partnership with Scripps Health and our physician colleagues from XIMED and Connect-the-Docs brings to our patients throughout the region,” said Reuben Farris, MD, president of San Diego Physicians. “Together, we bring a countywide network of high quality physicians across a wide range of specialties as well as a broad primary care network.”

San Diego Physicians has extensive experience with managed care contracts, which will be a benefit to Scripps, said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health.

“This coming together of these three strong medical groups under the Scripps name demonstrates that physicians in this community see the value in partnering with a strong health care system,” Van Gorder said. “We are responding to the changes in health care by building stronger partnerships with our affiliated physicians. Scripps Physicians Medical Group will play an important role in moving Scripps toward more affordable, more convenient care that maintains the same high quality standards the public has come to expect from us.”

“While the new group is taking the Scripps name and brand, the decision to join together was initiated and driven by the physicians themselves,” said Marc Sedwitz, MD, president of XIMED Medical Group. “We believe that by creating this new dynamic organization, between our physicians and the Scripps Health system that will have the talent and resources to provide high quality, affordable health care.”

For Connect-the-Docs, the decision was the right thing to do for patient care. “Our group approached this decision by considering what is best in the long-run to meet the needs of our patients. Together we will have access to more resources to provide more services and greater access for our patients,” said Scott Eisman, MD, president of Connect-the-Docs. “We wanted to be as inclusive as possible in our consideration of partners and were fortunate to find two medical groups who shared our vision.”

Scripps Physicians business operations will be managed by Southern California Physicians Managed Care Services, a physician-governed, non-profit management services organization (MSO). Southern California Physicians Managed Care Services also manages business operations for Imperial County Physicians Medical Group, whose patients will continue to access the Scripps system for multiple specialty services through Scripps Physicians Medical Group.

ABOUT SCRIPPS PHYSICIANS MEDICAL GROUP

Scripps Physicians Medical Group (SPMG) includes more than 500 primary care and specialty physicians with offices throughout San Diego County in an independent practice association (IPA) network. SPMG partners with Scripps Health in managed care and preferred provider organization (PPO) insurance contracts. Scripps Health has licensed its name and brand identity to SPMG to signify the exclusive contracting relationship between the two organizations.

Scripps Physicians business operations are managed by Southern California Managed Care Services, a physician-governed, non-profit management services organization (MSO).

Learn more about Scripps Health.