Sharp Community Medical Group (SCMG) is an independent practice association (IPA) of more than 700 primary care and specialty physicians in private practices across San Diego County. Physicians in the SCMG network serve more than 165,000 managed care patients.

The IPA is affiliated with Sharp HealthCare, a not-for-profit integrated healthcare delivery system that includes four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals and two other medical groups that have implemented the TouchWorks Electronic Health Record.

SCMG selected Allscripts based on its track record of success at two other Sharp HealthCare medical groups, Sharp Rees-Stealy and Sharp Mission Park, and its experience with other IPAs.

TouchWorks will enable SCMG’s physicians to instantly access patient information when and where they need it. The web-based solution speeds and automates everyday clinical tasks such as prescribing and refilling medications, ordering and viewing tests, and documenting care.

Additionally, TouchWorks combines sophisticated scheduling and financial management tools in a single package and incorporates advanced functionality such as rule-based appointment scheduling, multi-resource and recurring appointment features, referral and eligibility indicators, and appointment and claims management.

Our physicians are dedicated to delivering the best possible patient care as efficiently as possible, and Allscripts has proven they can deliver the tools to help physicians do just that, said Christopher McGlone, chief operating officer of SCMG. We’re excited to be able to offer this integrated solution to our physicians, many of them in smaller practices who may feel they can’t afford a full electronic health record but who want the benefits of patient safety, efficiency and connectivity to the entire Sharp network of physicians.