Medical Giant To Manage Dominican Hospital Emergency Room Starting Jan. 1

California Emergency Physicians Medical Group (CEP), based in Emeryville announced Friday that it reached a deal earlier this month with to manage the local hospital's Emergency Department beginning on New Year's Day.

The 12 doctors and other staff currently employed by Santa Cruz Emergency Physicians Medical Group—which has run the department since 1992—will continue running operations under the management of the much larger group, according to CEP Spokesperson Eric Jost. But some changes to their ways are in the works as CEP makes “suggestions” to increase efficiency at the more than 100 hospitals they manage.

“At this point the doctors and staff will [remain] the same,” Jost said. “I don't believe the walk through has happened yet, but it will be done on or before the Jan. 1 start date.”

Dominican Hospital treats more than 40,000 patients every year, and the CEP's suggested changes could extend to all departments including radiology, and intensive care.

Patients can expect shorter wait times after the management shift. CEP run hospitals 36 minute average—almost twice as fast national average—by putting doctors in closer communication with patients in the waiting room to prioritize situations. They claim this method, which they call Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) allows more patients to be seen and increases profits for the hospital.

California Nurses Association member Lorna Grundeman is not convinced that quicker care is always better care. She says if patients return for the same treatments it costs hospitals more than they gain by quickly treating more patients

“A lot of this is based on industrial models. There are consultants the hospitals employ to get patients through more quickly,” said Grundeman. “If patients return repeatedly with the same ailment the hospital wont be reimbursed by medicare or private insurance.”

Jost would not reveal financial details of the takeover agreement with SCEPMG, and Dominican officials did not return Patch's requests for comment.

Matt Hendrickson of Physicians For A National Health Plan says that CEP is known for more flexibility than other “mega groups” but that overall the concentration of the medical industry is becoming a large threat to access and affordability. He also says that local medical groups are much more responsive to the wishes of patients and less likely to rush things and make mistakes.

CEP now runs more than 25 percent of all emergency rooms in California and is the third largest emergency physician group in the nation.

He says that having management by large corporations dehumanizes the entire process of caring for people and increases motives for profit:

“When you are closely connected with your community...having to rush them through when you are the one treating them isn't as appealing than if you are in a corporate office hundreds of miles away.”