News
Sutter Regional Medical Foundation
Solano Regional Medical Group and Sutter Health Complete Affiliation
FAIRFIELD, Calif. - July 11, 2003 - Solano Regional Medical Group (SRMG), Solano County's largest multi-specialty physician organization, has completed its affiliation with the not-for-profit Sutter Health network of hospitals, ambulatory care clinics and physicians.
SRMG physicians have affiliated with Sutter Health through a proven structure that has been successful in preserving and expanding patient access to physicians and medical services in other Northern California communities. In Solano County, Sutter Health is creating a new not-for-profit organization called the Sutter Regional Medical Foundation. The foundation will operate the five multi-specialty ambulatory care centers that formerly functioned as care centers of SRMG.
The medical foundation will be governed by a local volunteer board of directors whose responsibilities will include working with local health care organizations to identify and help meet community health care needs. Physicians and foundation staff will participate in Sutter Health initiatives to improve clinical quality and patient satisfaction. Patients will also benefit from Sutter Health's active research and education initiatives.
The medical foundation has assumed administrative and business management responsibilities for the local physicians, freeing the doctors to focus more time on patient care. SRMG's 350 employees will become employees of Sutter Regional Medical Foundation.
The affiliation should be largely transparent to the group's patients, according to Dr. Sam Santoro, D.O., president of the medical group. SRMG physicians will continue to treat current and new patients at the five care centers in Fairfield, Vacaville, Rio Vista and Vallejo. The physicians plan to continue practicing at local hospitals and will continue to accept a variety of HMO and other health plan contracts.
The decision by SRMG to seek a relationship with a larger health care network reflects a growing trend in the health care industry as many independent hospitals and physician groups struggle in a challenging economic environment. One-third of California's 300 largest medical groups have gone out of business or have become insolvent since 1996.
"We have been serving Solano County for more than a half-century, and we fully intend to be here for generations to come," Dr. Santoro. "Our relationship with Sutter Health will provide the support and stability we need to continue serving the community. This is good news for our physicians and for our patients."
"We're pleased to welcome Solano Regional Medical Group to our network," said Sutter Health President and CEO Van R. Johnson. "We look forward to creating a quality and supportive environment where the physicians and staff are able to continue their heritage of caring for Solano County families."
Johnson added that the development of medical foundation clinics in Solano County is a logical extension of Sutter's presence along the Interstate 80 corridor. "We have a strong presence from Placer County to San Francisco, so the addition of this new medical foundation is a wonderful complement to our system," Johnson said.
Sutter Health is one of the nation's leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers, delivering high quality care in more than 100 Northern California communities. Sutter Health has relationships with more than 3,600 physicians and is the regional leader in infant deliveries, neonatology, orthopedics and pediatric services. Sutter maintains medical foundation clinics in 11 Northern California counties.
Solano Regional Medical Group, founded in 1948 as Fairfield Medical Group, is a multi-specialty group of 69 physicians and other health care providers. The group operates care centers in five locations in and around Fairfield and Vacaville, and has approximately 350 employees.