Sound Physicians Enters Agreement to Provide Hospitalist Services at San Joaquin Community Hospital

Leading Hospitalist Organization Expands Presence Within Adventist Health

Tacoma, Wash. – April 23, 2013 – Sound Physicians, a leading hospitalist organization focused on driving improvements in quality, satisfaction and financial performance of inpatient healthcare delivery, announced today an agreement to provide hospitalist services at San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif.

Sound Physicians will provide comprehensive hospitalist services to the 254-bed hospital, which is the second Adventist Health hospital in California with which Sound Physicians has partnered. Adventist Health operates more than 19 hospitals throughout California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, plus the largest network of rural health clinics in the state of California.

“Sound Physicians has expressed that it shares our vision to be a recognized leader with our mission focus on quality care and fiscal strength,” said Keith Doram, M.D., CEO for Adventist Health.

Sharlet Briggs, Ph.D., vice president of organizational excellence at San Joaquin Community Hospital, stated, “We chose Sound Physicians because of their focus on clinical process excellence. With their infrastructure and hospitalist workflows, we expect Sound Physicians to repeat its success at driving measurable improvements in the quality of care.”

Robert Bessler, M.D., CEO of Sound Physicians, added, “We look forward to expanding our presence within Adventist Health. We will be focused on utilizing proven tools and an engaged hospitalist team to provide the highest-quality care to patients in this community.”

Working with San Joaquin Community Hospital’s leadership team, Sound Physicians will roll out its SoundConnect™ workflow and informatics platform to drive improvements in inpatient care outcomes, as well as financial performance. Sound Physicians will also apply its expertise in building high-performing hospital practices, including strong physician leadership, revenue cycle management and a track record of physician recruiting success.