Clinical Component

Navigating the Clinical Component

The incoming gastroenterologist will run a full general GI practice across clinic, the on-site ambulatory surgery center, and hospital coverage. Day to day, the work splits between office visits, endoscopy at ACE Endoscopy & Surgery Center, and inpatient consults at the group's affiliated hospitals. The practice handles a broad digestive-care population and performs the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, with advanced endoscopy available through the group's interventional physicians.

Clinical Snapshot

Practice Type: General GI with advanced endoscopy on staff

Clinic Volume: 15 to 18 patients per day

Procedure Volume: 7 to 12 scopes per procedure day

ASC: 2 GI suites, ~800 scopes per month

Sedation: Moderate (conscious) sedation, physician-administered

EMR: Greenway (Intergy)

Support: Scribe/dictation, 3 schedulers, direct access coordinator

Patient Population

The group provides full-scope digestive care across the Inland Empire, treating conditions of the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, liver, pancreas, and biliary system. Common presentations include GERD, abdominal pain, GI bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer screening, and liver and pancreatic disease. Demand is strong, with new patient wait times in the area running 8 to 12 weeks.

Procedures and Services

  • Colonoscopy and polypectomy
  • Upper endoscopy (EGD)
  • Esophageal dilation
  • Banding
  • Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR)
  • ERCP and EUS (via advanced endoscopists)
  • Cholangioscopy, endoluminal stent placement, and therapeutic EUS (advanced)

A new general GI physician will focus on core diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. Physicians who perform, or are willing to train in, ERCP add value to the group and earn higher compensation.

Sedation Model

The practice performs the majority of procedures under physician-administered moderate (conscious) sedation, using standard agents. This is a core expectation of the role. Candidates who trained exclusively with anesthesia support can be trained in the group's sedation approach; willingness to work in this model is required. Anesthesia is used for appropriate, more complex cases where clinically indicated.

Clinical Support

  • Scribe support and dictation available
  • 3 schedulers and a direct access coordinator
  • On-site labs and imaging
  • 4 physician assistants supporting inpatient and outpatient care
  • 8 GI fellows integrated across hospital sites

APP and Fellow Integration

Four physician assistants support the practice. One covers inpatient service at Arrowhead, one handles outpatients at Arrowhead, and two work alongside the physicians in the offices. The group's eight GI fellows are fully integrated into clinical care and teaching under the UC Riverside fellowship, which the practice sponsors.

Call

Call is structured around the fellowship model, with fellows serving as primary call and attendings providing backup and procedural coverage.

Call Component Structure
General GI call 1:6, one week at a time
Call week Monday 7:00 PM to Monday 7:00 AM
ERCP/EUS call 1:4 (separate rotation)
First call Fellows take primary call
Attending role Backup and procedures
Call pay Included in salary

Fellows take primary call at all covered sites except Community Hospital of San Bernardino. Attendings are available for procedures and complex cases, consistent with an ACGME teaching model.

Teaching and Research

The group sponsors the Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowship at UC Riverside School of Medicine. Teaching is available to the incoming physician but is not the primary role; the practice remains a community-based private practice first. Fellows rotate through the group's hospital sites and offices, and physicians who enjoy teaching have a built-in academic outlet without an academic employment structure.

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