NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emergency Physician Partners (EPP) announced today its formation as a physician partnership organization focused exclusively on partnering with emergency medicine physicians. The company will collaborate with leading emergency medicine practices across the country to help physicians preserve their clinical independence, focus on providing quality patient care, and be positioned for success in an uncertain, ever-changing and highly-regulated healthcare environment.
Claritas Capital Equity Group, a Nashville-based investment firm which primarily focuses on healthcare, technology, and business services companies, has granted EPP access to more than $25 million to close the acquisition of emergency medicine physician practices expected to start in the first quarter of 2016.
“Successfully operating the administrative side of an emergency medicine practice has become more difficult and demanding in today’s complex healthcare environment,” said EPP Founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Kelly. “We founded EPP because we understand how valuable true partnership can be to physicians during these uncertain times. Our unique model allows emergency physicians to preserve their clinical independence, provide better quality care, and have an experienced business partner to handle the administrative burdens of running their practices.”
Kelly brings more than 20 years of senior management experience with healthcare leaders such as AmSurg Corp., The Little Clinic, Quorum Health Resources and, most recently, as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for U.S. Anesthesia Partners.
In addition to Kelly, EPP’s senior management team includes hospital financial management veteran Brady Sturgeon, chief financial officer, executive vice president and founder, who previously served as Vice President of Development for LHP Hospital Group. In addition, founder Brian White will serve as executive vice president and chief operating officer. White was most recently founder and managing partner of Competitive Solutions, a management consulting firm specializing in hospital-employed physician management and physician practice operations.
EPP is the first single-specialty organization dedicated to partnering exclusively with emergency medicine physician groups. Today, approximately 20,000 of the country’s 45,000 emergency physicians remain independent. Hospital and payer consolidation have increased significantly following the passage of the Affordable Care Act making the environment more difficult and uncertain for emergency medicine physicians.
“We are proud to be working with and investing in this group of proven, forward-thinking executives,” said Don McLemore, founder and partner at Claritas Capital Equity Group. “The emergency medicine space remains largely unconsolidated, with nearly 3,000 of the country’s 5,000 hospitals contracting directly with independent emergency physician groups. We share EPP’s vision for the opportunity to strengthen these physician practices by bringing them together.”
About Emergency Physician Partners
Emergency Physician Partners (EPP) is a physician partnership organization that collaborates with leading emergency medicine practices and provides business expertise to allow doctors to remain clinically independent and focused on quality patient care. The company’s vision is to be the leading emergency physician partnership organization in the nation. EPP's veteran leadership team is committed to being a true partner to emergency physicians, and to ensuring their practices are positioned for success in today's increasingly complex healthcare environment. To learn more about the company, or to inquire about becoming a partner, visit www.emergencyphysicianpartners.com.
