IPC Reports Record-Setting Growth and Continued Exceptional Clinical Performance in 2005
IPC–The Hospitalist Company Now Providing Care in 20 Markets; Company Performs Better Than Industry Standards for Re-Admit Rates and Lengths of Stay
02.22.2006
(NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – February 22, 2006) — IPC–The Hospitalist Company reported today record-setting growth and expansion in 2005 plus continued high performance that exceeds industry standards in a number of quality indicators.
In the year just concluded, IPC continued its national expansion strategy through entry into Corpus Christi, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Salt Lake City, Utah; and the Florida communities of Jacksonville, Tampa, Ocala and other parts of Southwest Florida. In total IPC now has active practices in 20 markets throughout the country.
As a result of this expansion, coupled with continued growth in existing markets, in 2005 IPC’s 500 physicians collectively had more than 1.3 million patient visits. This represents a 20 percent increase from the nearly 1.1 million visits in 2004 and a nearly 75 percent increase from just three years ago. In addition, IPC physicians now practice in approximately 300 healthcare facilities, more than double the 140 facilities in which they practiced the prior year.
“We are currently in the midst of a major expansion initiative and are looking for like-minded marketplace leaders to join IPC and help truly drive inpatient care to new levels of quality and accountability,” said Adam Singer, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of IPC. “Our continued growth over the past year is a strong indicator of the exceptional performance of our physicians and of the continued realization in the benefits of the hospitalist model of care.”
Once again in 2005 IPC continued to exceed national standards in many quality indicators. The company’s 2005 readmit rate for hospitalized patients, for example, was a significant 26 percent below national industry standards. Tracking more than 30,000 patients in eight DRG categories within 31 days of discharge, IPC’s readmit rate was 3.4 percent in 2005 vs. the 4.6 percent national benchmark established by the Maryland Hospital Association Quality Improvement Project.
IPC’s 2005 dashboard also included tracking the average length of stay for more than 1,600 seniors in four DRGs common to the senior population. In all four categories, including complex pneumonia, IPC was lower than industry standards. IPC was also lower than industry standards in all four categories it tracked, including simple pneumonia, for more than 4,200 commercial patients.
“How our physicians perform clinically and the level of quality care we provide to our patients will always remain our ultimate barometer of success,” said Dr. Singer. “These clinical indicators coupled with high patient satisfaction scores tell us that we are adding appreciable value to the healthcare equation, and that’s the base we want to continue to improve on going forward.”
Hospitalists, the nation’s fastest-growing medical specialty, are acute-care specialists who focus on a patient’s hospital care from time of admission to discharge. Increased evidence has shown that hospitalists improve quality of care and reduce healthcare costs while providing patients and their families the added comfort and security of having a physician on-site to answer questions and coordinate all of the tests, treatments and services that take place within the hospital.
IPC, the nation’s premier and fastest-growing hospitalist company, currently provides inpatient care in 20 markets nationwide. No other hospitalist company matches its depth of experience and breadth of resources. The company employs approximately 500 physicians who collectively have more than 1.3 million patient visits and manage more than $1 billion in healthcare expenditures annually. These IPC physicians work closely with hospitals, health plans and independent, locally based physicians to help drive the healthcare delivery system toward higher-quality, more patient-focused care. In doing so, IPC has been an industry leader and catalyst in the growth of hospitalist medicine.
Information on IPC may be obtained at www.hospitalist.com.
In the year just concluded, IPC continued its national expansion strategy through entry into Corpus Christi, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Salt Lake City, Utah; and the Florida communities of Jacksonville, Tampa, Ocala and other parts of Southwest Florida. In total IPC now has active practices in 20 markets throughout the country.
As a result of this expansion, coupled with continued growth in existing markets, in 2005 IPC’s 500 physicians collectively had more than 1.3 million patient visits. This represents a 20 percent increase from the nearly 1.1 million visits in 2004 and a nearly 75 percent increase from just three years ago. In addition, IPC physicians now practice in approximately 300 healthcare facilities, more than double the 140 facilities in which they practiced the prior year.
“We are currently in the midst of a major expansion initiative and are looking for like-minded marketplace leaders to join IPC and help truly drive inpatient care to new levels of quality and accountability,” said Adam Singer, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of IPC. “Our continued growth over the past year is a strong indicator of the exceptional performance of our physicians and of the continued realization in the benefits of the hospitalist model of care.”
Once again in 2005 IPC continued to exceed national standards in many quality indicators. The company’s 2005 readmit rate for hospitalized patients, for example, was a significant 26 percent below national industry standards. Tracking more than 30,000 patients in eight DRG categories within 31 days of discharge, IPC’s readmit rate was 3.4 percent in 2005 vs. the 4.6 percent national benchmark established by the Maryland Hospital Association Quality Improvement Project.
IPC’s 2005 dashboard also included tracking the average length of stay for more than 1,600 seniors in four DRGs common to the senior population. In all four categories, including complex pneumonia, IPC was lower than industry standards. IPC was also lower than industry standards in all four categories it tracked, including simple pneumonia, for more than 4,200 commercial patients.
“How our physicians perform clinically and the level of quality care we provide to our patients will always remain our ultimate barometer of success,” said Dr. Singer. “These clinical indicators coupled with high patient satisfaction scores tell us that we are adding appreciable value to the healthcare equation, and that’s the base we want to continue to improve on going forward.”
Hospitalists, the nation’s fastest-growing medical specialty, are acute-care specialists who focus on a patient’s hospital care from time of admission to discharge. Increased evidence has shown that hospitalists improve quality of care and reduce healthcare costs while providing patients and their families the added comfort and security of having a physician on-site to answer questions and coordinate all of the tests, treatments and services that take place within the hospital.
IPC, the nation’s premier and fastest-growing hospitalist company, currently provides inpatient care in 20 markets nationwide. No other hospitalist company matches its depth of experience and breadth of resources. The company employs approximately 500 physicians who collectively have more than 1.3 million patient visits and manage more than $1 billion in healthcare expenditures annually. These IPC physicians work closely with hospitals, health plans and independent, locally based physicians to help drive the healthcare delivery system toward higher-quality, more patient-focused care. In doing so, IPC has been an industry leader and catalyst in the growth of hospitalist medicine.
Information on IPC may be obtained at www.hospitalist.com.