Press Release

Prima Medical Group Continues to Grow Rapidly

MARIN & SONOMA COUNTY, C.A. October 5 -— With two new offices joining Prima Medical Group, primary healthcare in Marin and Sonoma County is getting stronger. In Larkspur, the former Tamalpais Family Practice has chosen to join Prima and recruit another physician. In the town of Sonoma, doctors Brian Sebastian, M.D. and Diane Weissman, M.D. have also decided to join this extensive physician group. This brings the total number of Prima physicians to 22 (seven of which have been recruited in the last two years) and the total number of Prima locations to six.

The need for more primary care physicians in Marin County was pressing; while retiring physicians would normally be replaced by physicians finishing their residencies, high living expenses in Marin make it nearly impossible for a recent graduate to locate their practice here. Primary care is the foundation on which healthcare in the United States is based. Without primary care physicians, private practice specialists and local hospitals could not survive. Also, fewer primary care physicians may mean Marin residents will have trouble finding a physician who accepts patients and longer waits for an appointment once they find a physician. This may result in Marin County residents commuting further and further for proper basic medical care.

Doctors J. Michael Graham, M.D., Elizabeth Etemad, D.O., and Oliver Osborn, M.D., formerly of Tamalpais Family Practice, looked at joining Prima Medical Group as a way to solidify their practice. Primary care is an increasingly difficult business for private physicians to be in, as reimbursements from insurance companies get lower and the amount of non-clinical work a physician must do increases. Tamalpais Family Practice also considered Prima's recruitment package a boon to their busy practice. "With Prima's help it will be easier to recruit and retain a new physician," says Dr. Osborn. "We think our future will be brighter and more secure with Prima. They are a group that's planning ahead and moving toward the future."

Prima approaches recruitment differently. They offer competitive incentives to young physicians to enable them to settle in Marin. By lessening the financial burden of moving to Marin, Prima hopes to mitigate one of the major obstacles for physicians considering setting up a new medical practice. Aside from financial incentives, Prima prides itself on encouraging the diverse interests of their physicians and focuses on quality measurement and improvement. Prima can attract young physicians with the use of innovative advanced technologies, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR), which gives physicians the ability to communicate with the hospitals, their colleagues, and ancillary services faster and more efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, new physicians are supported in their efforts by the mentorship of Prima's more experienced physicians.

For Dr. Sebastian and Dr. Weissman, the decision to join Prima was encouraged by the local Sonoma Valley Hospital that had originally recruited them. Sonoma is facing the same issues with retiring physicians and a primary care shortage in the next 5 years. "Prima was the only option for me," says Dr. Sebastian. I didn't want to join Kaiser, because I wanted more flexibility and to be able to continue to serve my current patients here in Sonoma. I've gotten pretty attached to this town".  

Founded in November of 2005 by Joel Criste, Chief Executive Officer of the Marin IPA (Individual Practice Association), and Dr. Joseph Habis, current Prima Medical Director and longtime Bay Area physician, as a response to Marin's pressing need for primary care physicians. Prima has already added eight new physicians who are accepting new patients and plans to increase this number within the next few years.

Prima Medical Group is a local, physician-owned and operated group of Internists and Family Medicine physicians. With both new and established physicians, Prima provides quality care and promotes lasting health for their patients. Prima expertise encompasses all primary care services, including: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Women's Health, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, and Travel Medicine. Prima's expanding practice now has offices in Sonoma, Larkspur, Terra Linda, Novato, Mill Valley, and Sausalito. "Our goal is to offer a convenient, physician led alternative for physicians and patients who are looking for quality care close to home," says Dr. Habis.

For more information, you can contact Dr. Habis at 415.492.3333, Joel Criste at 415.884.1818, or view the Prima website: www.primamedgroup.com.

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