Company History
Medical Groups Launch, Grow and Merge
Nationwide changes in medical care during the 1980s led to the formation of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs). These groups of doctors and other medical specialists took a more direct and consumer-oriented approach to the delivery and purchase of healthcare services.
At the time, PIH and its medical staff developed a PPO known as Whittier Professional Medical Group (WPMG). By working together, everyone was better able to offer affordable services and stay up to date on the latest medical technologies, medications and best practices for patient care. As HMOs became more popular, PIH sponsored the formation of an independent physicians association (IPA)—Whittier Regional Medical Group—which later changed its name to Bright Medical Associates.
Other area physician groups also became part of the PIH family. In 1993, the Gallatin Medical Group, headquartered in Downey, reorganized under the umbrella of the Gallatin Medical Foundation. By 2001, this organization became Presbyterian Health Physicians (PHP) and brought together more than 140 primary care physicians and 110 specialists with established practices throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Presbyterian Health Physicians and Bright Medical Associates combined in 2008 to form a new physician organization—Bright Health Physicians of PIH—and joined PIH in providing excellent, coordinated healthcare and services to Whittier and the surrounding communities.
By the fall of 2012, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and the physician group merged to form PIH Health.
Changing Names, Adding Facilities, Expanding Services
After working side by side for many years, the physicians and staff of Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital and the Bright Health Physicians of PIH joined forces in the fall of 2012 as PIH Health. A regional healthcare delivery network—known as an integrated delivery system (IDS)—PIH Health provides the high-quality healthcare without discrimination our communities have come to expect. We put patients first and contribute to the well-being of our neighborhoods as their health and wellness partner.
Just one year later, Downey Regional Medical Center—with the approval of the California Attorney General’s office—became PIH Health Hospital – Downey, the second hospital in the PIH Health integrated healthcare delivery system. This new partnership helps our regional healthcare network continue to meet the expanding needs of the communities we serve in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the San Gabriel Valley.