Eagle Hospital Physicians announces acquisition of Inpatient Management

Expanding geographical presence and capabilities, Eagle Hospital Physicians today announced the acquisition of Inpatient Management Incorporated (IMI), a hospitalist management company based in St. Louis, Mo. With client hospitals primarily located in the Midwest and multiple locations on the West Coast, the IMI acquisition will bring Eagle to the forefront in national hospitalist management services, increasing Eagle's presence to 17 states across the United States.

“Each company has strengths that will complement each other, and Eagle's robust physician leadership model, no doubt, will provide added value and insight to IMI's existing practices.”

Founded in 1997 by Chief Executive Officer Kirk Mathews and President Terri Orf, IMI will add more than 90 full-time physicians and 13 hospitalist practices to Eagle's portfolio, including locations in California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska and Washington. In addition to fully staffing and managing numerous hospitalist programs, IMI uniquely provides management services that allow hospitals to staff their own hospitalist programs.

"IMI is a highly respected company and has been a pioneer in the industry since its founding," said Brent McCarty, chief executive officer at Eagle. "IMI's experience and knowledge, particularly managing hospitalist programs in which the hospital employs the physician and IMI provides the management services, is a model that many hospitals are considering with the advent of health care reform and Accountable Care Organizations."

"I have high expectations for this acquisition," said Mathews, "Each company has strengths that will complement each other, and Eagle's robust physician leadership model, no doubt, will provide added value and insight to IMI's existing practices."

Mathews, who has more than 20 years of healthcare experience concentrated in physician recruitment and hospitalist management services, will continue to work with Eagle, serving as senior vice president of business development.

This is the second acquisition for Eagle this year, with the completion of the PrimeDoc Management Services acquisition in July. Eagle will now employ approximately 350 full-time physicians at 44 hospitals nationwide. Both totals have nearly doubled since Eagle was acquired by Flexpoint Ford and Highlander Partners in August 2010.