Multispecialty physician group expands into imaging by adding 36-rad private practice
A Northern California multispecialty physician group is expanding into medical imaging by adding a 36-rad private practice.
Emeryville-based Vituity, which is led and owned by doctors, said it has reached a deal to partner with Focused Medical Imaging. Founded in 2008 by two radiologist friends from the University of California, Los Angeles, FMI delivers the full gamut of diagnostic and interventional imaging services.
Focus Medical Imaging rads will now transition into partners at Vituity, adding the infrastructure needed to scale while also adopting its “democratic model of clinical governance.” Vituity said its approach will allow FMI radiologists to maintain their autonomy while having a “strong voice in organization leadership.”
"Joining Vituity marks an exciting new chapter for our radiologists," James Lin Jr., MD, co-founder and CEO of Focus Medical Imaging, Pasadena, California, said in a Nov. 11 announcement. "We are proud to join a physician-owned partnership that elevates physician leadership, boosts radiologist job satisfaction, and expands our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative patient care."
Vituity said it expects the new service line to launch in January. The doc group operates in numerous other specialties also including anesthesiology, critical care, emergency medicine, neurology, primary care, and psychiatry. Along with diagnostic and interventional services, Vituity touted plans to offer integrated remote coverage 24/7, with “subspecialty depth and surge capacity when hospitals need it most.”
"Radiology is central to how healthcare is delivered today,” Rick Newell, MD, Vituity’s chief transformation officer, said in the announcement. “By welcoming the talented FMI team, Vituity is building a radiology specialty that embodies our partnership values and will bring much-needed innovation and reliability to our hospital and health system partners."
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.