Press Release

New, High-Tech Prima Medical Group Replenishes Marin's Declining Primary Care Physician Pool

MARIN COUNTY, C.A. April 17 -— Marin County is losing significant numbers of primary care physicians to retirement, but Prima Medical Group is taking on the challenge of recruiting and retaining new physicians to the area.

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 three new physicians who are accepting new patients and plans to increase this number within the next year.

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, Geriatrics and Travel Medicine. Prima's expanding practice has offices in Terra Linda, Novato and Mill Valley. “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.

The need for more primary physicians in Marin County is 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. Fewer primary care physicians may mean Marin residents will have trouble finding a physician and longer waits for current residents trying to make an appointment. This may also result in Marin County residents commuting further and further for proper basic medical care.

Prima approaches recruitment differently. They offer competitiveincentives 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 offering a unique, diverse work environment with staff whose interests range from travel medicine to geriatrics and acupuncture. The group encourages these versatile interests and focuses on quality measurement and improvement. New physicians are supported in their efforts by the mentorship of Prima's more experienced physicians.

Prima also attracts young physicians with innovative advanced technologies, including Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and the online “Relayhealth” system, which gives patients and their physicians the ability to communicate using the internet. Prima offices are up-to-date, highly organized and connected with the hospitals, their colleagues and one another. That means patients don't have to carry lab results from office to office and gives them the assurance that their physician has all the information necessary to make the correct diagnosis.

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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