Healthcare System Overview

An In-Depth Look into the Healthcare System

The incoming physician is employed by San Bernardino Gastroenterology Associates (SBGA), a physician-owned private gastroenterology group serving the Inland Empire for more than three decades. The group operates two outpatient offices and its own ambulatory surgery center, and its physicians provide inpatient GI coverage across four area hospitals. This structure gives a candidate the autonomy of private practice, the procedural efficiency of a dedicated ASC, and the clinical range of a broad hospital network.

Facility Snapshot

Employer: San Bernardino Gastroenterology Associates (private group)

Founded: Established practice, 30+ years in the community

Offices: Rialto and Redlands

ASC: ACE Endoscopy & Surgery Center (on-site, Rialto)

GI Suites: 2, approximately 800 scopes per month

Providers: 8 gastroenterologists, 4 physician assistants

Academic Tie: Sponsors the UC Riverside GI & Hepatology fellowship

Hospital Coverage: 4 affiliated hospitals

The Practice and ASC

SBGA and its ACE Endoscopy & Surgery Center form the core of the physician's day-to-day environment. Most procedures are performed at the on-site endoscopy center in Rialto, which runs two GI suites and roughly 800 scopes per month. The practice sees outpatients in Rialto and Redlands, with the Redlands office positioned directly across from Redlands Community Hospital. The ASC is JCAHO-certified and follows Medicare standards, with Dr. Bala serving as medical director.

• Full-scope diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy on-site
• Advanced endoscopy (ERCP, EUS) handled in-house by the group's interventional physicians
• On-site labs and imaging
• Greenway (Intergy) EMR across the practice

Academic Affiliation

The group sponsors and staffs the Gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowship at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, an uncommon arrangement for a community-based private practice. Physicians have the option to teach and work alongside fellows without an academic employment model. Fellows rotate through the group's hospital sites and offices, supporting both patient care and the practice's teaching mission.

Affiliated Hospital Network

The group provides inpatient GI coverage across four hospitals, giving the physician exposure to a wide range of acuity, from a Level I trauma and safety-net environment to community and tertiary care settings.

The group draws most of its inpatient volume from Arrowhead Regional and St. Bernardine. Notable network features include:

• Arrowhead Regional is a 456-bed university-affiliated county teaching hospital and one of two verified Level I trauma centers in San Bernardino County, with a regional burn center and comprehensive stroke center.
• St. Bernardine Medical Center is a 342-bed nonprofit tertiary acute care hospital, part of CommonSpirit Health, home to the Inland Empire Heart and Vascular Institute and a STEMI receiving center.
• Community Hospital of San Bernardino is a CommonSpirit nonprofit hospital and St. Bernardine's sister facility, known for maternity, behavioral health, and critical care.
• Redlands Community Hospital is a 211-bed independent nonprofit and a recognized center for robotic surgery and orthopedics, located across from the group's Redlands office.

Sponsoring System Relationship

CommonSpirit Health, through St. Bernardine Medical Center and Community Hospital of San Bernardino, is the group's primary hospital partner and is driving the expanded GI coverage behind this recruitment. Anticipated service growth at these hospitals is a core reason the group is adding a physician.