Regal Medical Group (RMG)

With a network spanning more than 5,000 square miles and thousands of health care providers, Regal Medical Group is part of one of Southern California's largest managed health networks. That size works to your advantage, allowing us to be there to coordinate all of your health care, when and where you need us. In spite of our size, we remain rooted in close community and operate upon the simple, traditional principles of knowing our customer, and providing respectful, personal, quality care.

At Regal, we know that navigating the healthcare system can be complicated for patients and for physicians. We also believe that during a visit to your doctor, the focus should be on health and wellness. You should be discussing things like prevention, diagnosis, treatment and healing, not coverage, networks, claims, regulations and billing. That's where an IPA, like Regal Medical Group, is able to serve both patients and physicians, by managing the business of managed care so that you don't have to.

Regal Medical Group works together with your healthcare plan and your PCP to keep things running smoothly. We collaborate with our physicians to provide quality care, while focusing on minimizing your out of pocket expenses. One way that we keep your overall health care costs low is by emphasizing preventative care in order to keep you healthy.

Sierra Medical Group (SMG)

Sierra Medical Group represents the future of medicine. Throughout our twenty five year history serving Antelope Valley, we have diligently invested our time and resources in the development of programs and services responsive to the healthcare needs of today's patient, while adapting to the increasingly diverse needs of tomorrow's health care agenda.

At SMG your health is our priority. An excellent team of specialty physicians who are either board certified or board eligible supports our primary care physicians providing you with a comprehensive healthcare network that is fully committed to your individual needs.

At SMG, we work hard to ensure that our patients receive quality medical care. This is why you will find easy access to your doctor, minimal waiting time for referrals, and staff members that genuinely care for your well-being.

Desert Oasis Health Care (DOHC)

DOHC is a team of highly skilled primary care physicians and ancillary providers, servicing the community with all their health care needs from newborn to senior care. We have convenient locations throughout the Coachella Valley, Morongo Basin and Yucca Valley areas.

DOHC’s services include access to 6 Immediate and Urgent Care Centers - Bermuda Dunes, Indio, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Yucca Valley. Our programs include Living and Aging Well, Home Health Services and Medication Management Services which are committed to improving your health proactively.

We are affiliated with every hospital in the Coachella Valley, which includes Eisenhower Memorial Hospital, Desert Regional Medical Center, John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital and Hi-Desert Medical Center.

Bakersfield Family Medical Center (BFMC)

Bakersfield Family Medical Center provides excellence in health care to our patients in professional settings that promote wellness and preventive medicine in Kern County.  Throughout the twenty year history of our medical group, we have diligently invested our resources in the development of programs and services responsive to the healthcare needs of today’s patient while adapting to the increasingly diverse needs of tomorrow’s healthcare agenda.

Our facilities offer superior patient convenience by providing Urgent Care, Pharmacy, Lab, Radiology, Pediatrics and a variety of specialty services at one convenient site.  In addition, the Heritage Physician Network is a group of physicians located throughout Kern County who have joined together to form an Independent Physicians Association (IPA).  These IPA physicians remain affiliated with BFMC although they maintain their own individual offices.  Members who choose physicians in Heritage Physician Network will see their selected doctors in their conveniently located private offices.  All members of Heritage Physician Network can access the full range of services, programs and specialists offered by BFMC.

Coastal Communities Physician Network (CCPN)

CCPN is an Independent Practice Association (IPA) formed in 2006, consisting of a network of contracted physicians located throughout the San Luis Obispo and Tulare counties. These IPA physicians are affiliated with BFMC/CCPN for the coordination of care rendered to members who have selected CCPN as their primary medical group.  Members who choose physicians of CCPN will see their doctors in their conveniently located private offices and also have access to a whole network of out-of-area specialists.  All members of CCPN can access a full range of services, programs and specialists through these contracted providers.

High Desert Medical Group (HDMG)

HDMG has a long-standing promise to provide residents of the Antelope Valley with the highest quality health care possible. Living up to our promise is an on-going commitment, which necessitates our growth as a multi-specialty medical group providing a wide range of health care services for our patients. For more than 25 years, we've been fortunate to have an impressive team of health care professionals, administrators, support personnel and dedicated volunteers who work in unison to help us deliver on our promise.

Together, we partner with local hospitals, medical experts and business leaders, and we actively support numerous organizations, educational, cultural and recreational events. Our team of healthcare professionals is available and ready to help you with all of your medical needs. We accept over 85 different health plans, including HMO, PPO, POS, EPO, Private and Medicare plans. Our Lancaster facility offers the convenience of having your Primary Care Physician, Lab, X-Ray, Urgent Care, Pharmacy, a Health Education Department, Infusion Center, and a multitude of subspecialties all under the same roof. In addition, our Urgent Care is now open 24 hours a day 7 days a week including holidays. We also have a full service Occupational Medicine Center on-site.

Heritage Victor Valley Medical Group (HVVMG)

Heritage Victor Valley Medical Group has exceeded our members’ expectations since its inception in 2003 through personalized care by a staff of skilled professionals, a speedy referral system, and a panel of specialists to serve all your medical needs.

We believe the most important aspect of healthcare is tending to the personal needs of our patients. Our facilities are equipped with some of the finest diagnostic equipment and technicians available. We have the resources and commitment to always bring the best to meet the new challenges and ever-changing health care needs of the Victor Valley region.

Lakeside Medical Group (LMG)

Lakeside Medical Group is a comprehensive healthcare provider with a network of physicians and services throughout the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita Valleys, as well as parts of Ventura and San Bernardino Counties. We aim to deliver quality, affordable healthcare to the communities we serve.

We bring more than 20 years of innovation in healthcare delivery and management systems to our integrated network of services, which include hundreds of primary care physicians and over a thousand specialists; ancillary services, such as an outpatient surgery center, urgent care centers and physical therapy; and affiliations with premier hospitals, labs and other support services.

Our commitment to complete patient care includes developing new and better ways of delivering healthcare. From our approach to prevention and disease management to our hospitalist program and more, your care is coordinated so that you have the best possible outcomes.

Affiliated Doctors of Orange County (ADOC)

Affiliated Doctors of Orange County Medical Group, Inc., (ADOC) is an independent practice association, a medical group of over 275 private physicians and 600 specialty physicians who are dedicated to providing affordable, quality healthcare for individuals of all ages. We are affiliated with most major health plans, including many HMOs.

With offices throughout the greater Orange County area, chances are board-certified primary care physician and board certified specialists you need are in your own neighborhood.

Our goal is to help you make better care decisions for yourself and your family.

Dr. Richard Merkin, CEO & Founder Of Heritage Provider Network To Receive Nancy M. Daly Founders's Award From United Friends of the Children; "Shonda Rhimes, Award Winning Creator of "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" and "Scandal," To Receive Brass Ring Award

Media Contact:
Janet Janjigian, DC Media Group LA, Inc
janet@dcmediagroupla.com

Shonda Rhimes, Award-winning creator of "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" and "Scandal," will receive the Brass Ring Award from the United Friends of the Children May 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, it was announced by Polly Williams, President, United Friends of the Children.

Founded over three decades ago by the late Nancy M. Daly and based in Los Angeles, United Friends of the Children is a unique organization dedicated to bettering the lives of our community's foster children and supporting former foster youth in their journey to become successful, independent adults.

The Brass Ring Award honors individuals whose humanitarianism and commitment have put opportunity within the reach of children. The Nancy M. Daly Founders Award honors outstanding individuals who have made transformational changes in the community.

Since 1999, this event has recognized members of the community who have spent significant energy and resources to help those less fortunate.Past Brass Ring Awards winners include Maria Shriver, Wendy and Barry Meyer, Julie Chen and Leslie Moonves.

"Shonda has responsibly and effectively helped draw attention to the plight of foster youth and children's adoption issues through major storylines in her shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice," Williams said. "As an adoptive parent, she is particularly sensitive to these concerns."

On "Grey's Anatomy," Dr. Alex Karev (played by Justin Chambers) grew up in foster care and the characters of Meredith Grey-Shepherd (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) adopted a child from Malawi who also spent time in foster care. "Private Practice," featured a plotline of Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) adopting a baby.

Rhimes was first introduced to United Friends of the Children when early in her career she interned for producer Debra Martin Chase ("The Preacher's Wife, "Princess Diaries") a board member of the organization.

Actors Benjamin Bratt ("Private Practice"), Kevin McKidd ("Grey's Anatomy"), Chandra Wilson ("Grey's Anatomy") and Kate Walsh ("Private Practice") will present the award to Rhimes. Mario Lopez will host the event.

In its eighth season, "Grey's Anatomy" continues to be hailed by audiences and critics. For her work on the series, Rhimes received the 2007 Television Producer of the Year by the Producers Guild of America, the 2007 Golden Globe for Outstanding Television Drama, the 2007 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television from Women in Film, the 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series, the 2006 Writers Guild Award for Best New Series, in addition to Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Writing for a Drama Series. Rhimes was also the recipient of the 2010 RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) Hope Award and a 2009 GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) Respect Awards Honoree.

The United Friends of the Children will also honor Dr. Richard Merkin, CEO and founder of Heritage Provider Network with the Nancy M. Daly Founder's Award. Dr. Merkin is one of the country's leading visionary healthcare executives with 30 years of experience creating medical networks responding to the changing health care marketplace throughout the country. HPN was recently named one of the global 10 most innovative healthcare companies for 2012 by "Fast Company." In response to the country's $2 trillion healthcare crises, Dr. Merkin created, sponsored and developed the $3million Heritage Health Prize Contest, the largest in the world for predictive modeling, to save over $40 billion in avoidable hospitalizations. Dr. Merkin is also sponsoring the "Go Viral to Improve Health" Prize challenge with the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering.

As a board member of Faster Cures and core contributor to the X Prize Foundation, Dr. Merkin advances private-sector involvement in such transformative issues as health care and education. In health care, he established the Richard Merkin Foundation for stem cell research at the Broad Institute at Harvard; the Richard Merkin Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute; The Richard Merkin Foundation for Neural Regeneration at UCLA; The Endowed Fellowship in International Emergency Medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine and The Richard Merkin initiative on Healthcare reform at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Dr. Merkin was named Healthcare CEO of the Year for 2011 by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

A strong advocate for education, Dr. Merkin is on the boards of The Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools and the office of the Education Master Plan and,the United Friends of Children, organizations dedicated to helping the California Educational System. The Richard Merkin Middle School opened its doors September 2006 to bring first-rate education to an underserved area of Los Angeles. In December of 2011, Dr. Merkin dedicated the new library at the Richard Merkin Middle School and Gertz-Ressler High School. This is the first library to open at any of the Los Angeles Alliance for College Ready Public Schools, all the more critically important since budget cuts in California are forcing public libraries to close.

Williams said, "Dr. Richard Merkin, a long time UFC supporter and Board Member is responsible for changing the lives of generations of children through his commitment to bringing first-rate education to youth in underserved areas of Los Angeles."

"I am deeply honored to receive the Nancy M. Daly Founders Award," said Dr. Merkin. "Nothing is more important than the education of our young people, if we shortchange their education, we shortchange our future."

UFC seeks to be a catalyst for permanent change through its programs, advocacy efforts and direct involvement with foster youth. We believe foster youth should have a chance to thrive and to have the same kinds of opportunities we want for our own children - to graduate from high school, attend college, live in an apartment, find a job and have a support system that moves them gradually towards independence

More information about tickets to the Brass Ring Award Dinner and United Friends of the Children may be obtained at www.unitedfriends.org

Dr. Merkin with UFC Brass Ring Award honoree Shonda Rhimes and UFC Foster Youth

Robert Daly, UFC, Dr. Richard Merkin and Michael Milken, Milken Family Foundation