New Members of the PAMF Family
PAMF's most recent structural change has been the addition of two new health care divisions. In 2000 and 2002, respectively, Sunnyvale-based Camino Medical Group (CMG) and Sutter Santa Cruz were incorporated under the Foundation umbrella, becoming the Camino Division and Santa Cruz Division. The affiliations make PAMF one of the largest and strongest multispecialty groups in California.
Functionally, CMG and Sutter Santa Cruz continue to operate as distinct organizations, managing patients and many operations independently as before. But the affiliation allows them to benefit from PAMF's not-for-profit ability to raise money through philanthropy and tax-exempt financing. The two groups also participate in PAMF initiatives such as the Advanced Access same-day scheduling system; receive assistance from the Foundation with business functions such as contracting and information technology; and hold seats on the PAMF Board of Trustees.
As with the Sutter affiliation, Palo Alto Medical Clinic physicians have not been much affected by the addition of two new siblings. But links between the groups are slowly growing. For example, CMG refers cancer patients to Palo Alto for radiation oncology treatment, a service CMG does not provide, and doctors at the two groups work collaboratively to manage those patients' care. CMG is also in the process of implementing a new EHR system that will complement and integrate with the Palo Alto Division's EHR, allowing both divisions to easily access information for patients referred between the two groups.
Camino Medical Group
Camino Medical Group was founded in 1954 as the six-physician Sunnyvale Medical Clinic. Like the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, the group grew rapidly as patients sought out its services, reaching 20 physicians in just six years and adding locations throughout Silicon Valley as the years went on. In 1994, the 110 physicians of the Sunnyvale Medical Clinic joined with 28 other doctors to become CMG. Today, the group has more than 200 primary care physicians, specialists and other allied health professionals serving more than 180,000 patients at 13 sites in Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Los Altos and Cupertino.
CMG continues to see rising patient demand for its services. It is currently building a new 250,000-square-foot campus at the intersection of Highway 85 and El Camino Real in Mountain View. Seven of CMG's 13 sites will be consolidated on the new campus, which will provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty physician services, outpatient surgery, an urgent care center, radiology and laboratory services, and health education conference rooms. CMG also plans to build a new 100,000-square-foot medical facility in Sunnyvale to update its existing clinic.
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Sutter Santa Cruz
The Sutter Santa Cruz system consists of three facilities: the Santa Cruz Medical Foundation, Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Santa Cruz. In 1995, the system became an affiliate of Sutter Health, then later moved under the PAMF umbrella. The Santa Cruz Medical Foundation started as a multispecialty group of physicians who believed that working together meant better care for the community. From its original six physicians, the group has grown to more than 100 primary care physicians, specialists and health professionals, with locations in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville.
Opened in 1996, the Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center is a 30-bed, acute-care hospital that focuses only on inpatient/outpatient surgery and perinatal services. The hospital is a joint project of Sutter Health and the Santa Cruz Medical Foundation. The hospital has consistently distinguished itself, receiving a national design award from Modern Healthcare magazine for what judges described as a "welcome departure from institutionalized-based care," and posting the highest patient-satisfaction scores ever recorded by the national hospital survey firm Parkside Associates.
VNA of Santa Cruz was established in 1946 as the county's first home health agency. Originally, the VNA focused on children's and public health, and was considered so important to the community that regular program updates were reported on the front page of the local newspaper. Today, the VNA's nurses, social workers, therapists and home health aides provide a variety of medical and social services to seniors, HIV patients and many others.
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Dr. David Druker