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NEWS Cabarrus Family Medicine to Join Carolinas HealthCare System March 7, 2007 - In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Cabarrus Family Medicine (CFM) announced that it has agreed to join the Carolinas Physicians Network (CPN), a regional network of medical practices operated by Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS). Cabarrus Family Medicine currently operates seven clinics in Cabarrus and Stanly Counties. CPN operates some 75 practices in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. The agreement will be effective May 1, 2007. “We are tremendously pleased to have this outstanding group of family physicians, psychologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses and other staff members joining the CHS family,” said Michael C. Tarwater, President and CEO of CHS. “The quality of healthcare in any given community is a function of several variables, including the excellence and variety of hospital-based services and the quality of services provided in outpatient settings. The impact of Cabarrus Family Medicine is extraordinary, because they provide crucial patient care services in a variety of clinical settings, while providing a medical home to more than 70,000 patients throughout the region.” Tarwater also cited the important role that CFM fills by providing healthcare leadership, including developing and serving as faculty for the innovative family medicine residency program at NorthEast Medical Center. “This program does an excellent job training medical school graduates in family medicine and in particular preparing them for the challenges and rewards of a career in rural and small town family medicine,” he said. “The residency program greatly complements the program we have at Carolinas Medical Center, and there will be many areas for future cooperation that will enhance the learning experience for all involved.” L. Allen Dobson, Jr., M.D., President and CEO of Cabarrus Family Medicine, agrees with this assessment. “We began initial discussions with CHS nearly a year ago regarding ways for our residency programs to collaborate to meet the future primary care needs of our state. We found that our goals and vision matched extremely well. I see this new arrangement as an excellent opportunity for the two programs to grow.” Cabarrus Family Medicine has grown from its origin with Dr. Dobson in 1983 to what is now a 53-professional, 200-employee group. “Our staff is very dedicated to the well-being of the people and community we serve,” said Dobson. “We serve patients in a large number of clinical settings, from the office to taking care of our own patients in the hospital, but it’s a point of pride with all of our staff to maintain a personal, small-office atmosphere.” Cabarrus Family Medicine Board Chair James H. Shepherd noted that he, too, is proud of the role his practice serves in training future generations of doctors. “This is an extraordinarily important mission, because it helps to ensure quality medical care in our community in the years to come.” “The Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency (CFMR) is truly a residency within a practice,” said Mark Robinson, M.D., Senior Vice President for Education and Research and director of the residency. “Our residents work alongside the family medicine faculty in a private practice. Four CFM offices have our residents as junior partners within the practice; in fact, all of our offices employ some of our graduates.” Robinson added, “The innovative role of the primary care physician as both a healer and a teacher means that families receive state-of-the-art healthcare in a professional and compassionate manner. Cabarrus Family Medicine also includes physician assistants and nurse practitioners who are highly trained healthcare professionals recognized by the American Medical Association. Working in collaboration with a physician, physician assistants and nurse practitioners provide high quality, cost-effective, and individualized care for the entire family.” Joseph G. Piemont, President of the Carolinas Physicians Network, said his group “is pleased to have the vote of confidence of such an innovative and committed family medicine group.” “Today,” Piemont added, “CPN has more than 100 family practice physicians, and the addition of more than 50 professionals from CFM will dramatically add to our complement of essential primary care providers. We are looking for CFM to lead a number of practice and program growth initiatives throughout the northern tier of our service area.” Located in Cabarrus and surrounding counties, the seven CFM clinics are situated in Concord, Mt. Pleasant, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Richfield and Albemarle. In addition to family practice centers, CFM also provides mental health services through the Psychological and Behavioral Health office located in Concord. Another addition to the clinic network is the Sports Medicine and Injury Center, located at the Poplar Tent location. Carolinas HealthCare System (www.carolinashealthcare.org) is the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas, and the third largest public system in the nation. CHS owns, leases or manages 19 hospitals in North and South Carolina, and employs more than 700 physicians who practice in more than 150 locations. CHS also operates nursing homes, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, radiation therapy facilities and physical therapy facilities. Together, these operations comprise approximately 4,500 licensed beds and employ more than 26,750 full-time or part-time employees. CHS’s flagship facility is Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, an 861-bed hospital which includes a Level I trauma center, a research institute, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation facility and a large number of specialty treatment units (heart, cancer, organ transplant, etc.). CMC also serves as one of North Carolina’s five Academic Medical Center Teaching Hospitals, providing residency training for 200 physicians in 15 specialties. Carolinas Medical Center has been named the “Consumer’s Choice Preferred Hospital” in the Charlotte market by the National Research Corporation nine times. HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company, rated CMC as best in the Charlotte area for overall cardiac services, and among the top five in North Carolina. CMC is also the first hospital in North Carolina to be recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for service excellence in maternity care. In the fall of 2007, the 234-bed Levine Children’s Hospital will open on the CMC campus. |