Awarded Four Star Elite Status Again

Bristol Park has again earned the coveted "Four Star, Elite Status" from California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG), the nation's largest professional association representing physician groups practicing in the managed care model.

This program measures the infrastructure of medical groups for their ability to "steadily improve clinical quality, affordability, access, technology, public accountability, and individual responsiveness" to patients; all important tenets of the future of healthcare in this era of reform. Bristol Park Medical Group has been awarded this top performance rating over several years; something not every participating medical group can claim.

Patients benefit when physicians are supported in their efforts to provide care. It is a "trickle up" system, with the patient at the top, ultimately reaping the advantages the supporting infrastructure provides to the physician. But just having a system doesn't earn you the top rating - it's what you do with it.

CAPG measures the infrastructure in four domains:

• Care Management Practices - in-house systems designed to support physicians in delivering better patient care
• Health Information Technology - using up-to-date computerized systems to improve patient communication, data management and timeliness of response
• Accountability and Transparency - willingness to participate in reviewing, reporting, corrective, and regulatory processes
• Patient Centered Care - tools developed and utilized by the groups to meet patients' desires for better communication, convenience, continuity of care, and cultural sensitivity.

"Priceless"

"In a time when healthcare is under the microscope, we're extremely gratified to have our efforts on behalf of our patients and physicians recognized by this highly respected organization," says Mark Schafer, MD, Chief Medical Officer. "We earned this award; our physicians and staff have worked hard to make sure our patients receive high quality treatment and management of medical conditions. We think you get the best with Bristol Park Medical Group: a good solid history of over 50 years along with the technologically progressive healthcare today's patients want. And, with our new affiliation with the award-winning MemorialCare Health System, we are looking forward to the next 50 years of caring for the families of Orange County. Continuing to invest in systems that will only improve care is as the commercial says, priceless."