SAN DIEGO – The Sharp Community Medical Group, a San Diego, Calif.-based association of private practice primary care physicians, and Graybill Medical Group, a Escondido, Calif.-based primary care practice, are collaborating to develop better IT solutions and implementation strategies.

Through the partnership, SCMG and Graybill look to develop patient management and electronic health record solutions that are geared toward physician practices as well more efficient implementation strategies to optimize deployment times.

In 2008, SCMG implemented an electronic health record and practice management solution designed to create a single health record for each patient. Officials said SCMG CONNECT uses a unique architecture to automate and connect clinical and administrative processes for SCMG's 755 physician members and affiliates to better serve the network's more than 146,000 managed care patients.

SCMG officials said they hope to use the experience gained from that implementation in their collaboration with Graybill, one of the largest medical practices in California with about 150,000 patients served each year. John Jenrette, SCMG's CEO, said the collaboration can create a stronger organization.

"United, we can better support private practice, create new efficient primary care practices and offer a menu of practice services including items such as billing, electronic health records installation and support, recruitment, staffing services and, in general, tools to make all models of practice successful," he said.

Founded in 1989, SCMG consists of more than 200 primary care physicians and 500 specialists in private practices throughout San Diego.