Emergency Medicine Physicians Announces Six New Contracts with North Carolina Hospitals

Canton, OH, October 25, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Emergency Medicine Physicians (EMP) announces six new contracts with medical facilities located in North Carolina. Five of these facilities are part of Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), which is based in Charlotte. These include Carolinas Medical Center (CMC)-Lincoln, CMC-Mercy, CMC-Pineville and CMC-University. In addition, the agreement will cover emergency services at CHS's new health pavilion, CMC-Steele Creek, which is set to open in November. Also included in the new arrangement is Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville. Together, these hospitals treat an estimated 220,000 emergency patients per year, bringing the total number of patients served by EMP to an estimated 1.4 million. The new additions expand EMP's reach to include 38 locations in nine states.

Dennis Phillips, Executive Vice President-Metro Group at CHS, said that the new arrangement would bring many benefits to patients and emergency department staff.

"We are looking forward to our new relationship with EMP," he said. "We received excellent service from our previous partner, Piedmont Emergency Medicine Associates (PEMA), which will now become part of EMP. The new agreement means that we'll have continuity of care from physicians who have done an excellent job serving our patients in Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding communities."

Established in 1992, EMP is a leading provider of emergency medical services in the United States. Dr. Dominic Bagnoli, Chief Executive Officer of EMP, has said the following about the company's rapid growth. "EMP is owned and operated by residency-trained physicians who are dedicated to delivering the best in emergency medicine. Our commitment to 'delivering the best' is not just a motto. It is something we live. We hold our physicians accountable and do everything possible to enhance the patient experience while patients are under our care."

Carolinas HealthCare System includes 29 affiliated hospitals in North and South Carolina. One of the leading healthcare systems in the Southeast, Carolinas HealthCare employs some 1,400 physicians and serves patients at more than 500 locations including physician practices, nursing homes, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies and other facilities. These operations comprise approximately 6,000 licensed beds and employ approximately 44,000 people.

CMC hospitals have been honored by J.D. Power and Associates for both maternity and emergency services. Carolinas HealthCare's "community benefit," which includes the value of indigent care, uncompensated medical services, education, research and charitable contributions, totals more than $770 million annually.

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