IPC The Hospitalist Company Acquires Kansas Practi

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: IPCM ), a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that it has acquired Eastside Medical Consultants, LLC (EMC), based in Wichita, Kansas. The acquisition represents IPC's second transaction in the Wichita market in the past 15 months, having established a presence in Wichita in the first quarter of 2013. EMC has provided hospitalist services in the Wichita area since 2002.

R. Jeffrey Taylor, president and COO of IPC, stated, "EMC has a well-established presence in the Wichita market, focusing on internal medicine hospitalist services for patients who are undergoing surgery. This type of referral-based hospitalist service, which IPC provides in many of its markets today, underscores the value of hospitalists in the surgical co-management arena."

EMC founder Randy E. Mijares, M.D., will continue to provide clinical leadership to the practice under IPC. Dr. Mijares commented, "Our expertise in coordinating the care of surgical patients helps optimize outcomes and cost efficiencies for this important hospital service line. By combining EMC's regional reputation and capabilities with IPC's breadth of experience and infrastructure support, we will further strengthen our ability to improve the quality and cost of care in our marketplace."

EMC's patient encounters are estimated at approximately 34,000 on an annualized basis.                                                                                            

About IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc.

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: IPCM ) is a leading physician group practice company focused on the delivery of hospitalist medicine and related facility-based services. IPC's physicians and affiliated providers practice in over 400 hospitals and 1,100 post-acute care facilities. The Company offers its 1,800 employed clinicians comprehensive training, information technology, and management support systems to improve the quality and reduce the cost of patient care in the facilities it serves. For more information, visit the IPC website at www.hospitalist.com .

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