Several High Desert doctors recently joined forces to found a new medical group, Alliance Desert Physicians. "We decided to form this independent group where each doctor has the ability to make medical decisions with each patient's best interest in mind," said Dr. Anupama Sharma, an internist located in Victorville.
Dr. Kelly Ahmed, a family medicine physician in Victorville; Dr. Arwin Salwan, an internal medicine physician in Hesperia; and Dr. Aparna Sharma, a pediatrician in Hesperia are the other physicians in the group. All of the doctors have practiced in the community for over 10 years. In addition, several other primary care physicians are in the process of joining Alliance Desert Physicians including Dr. Ramesh Bambhania, Dr. Vivek Gill, Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhar, Dr. Archna Sood and Dr. Om Sood.
The doctors are affiliated with St. Mary Medical Center and a large network of quality specialists in the High Desert and Inland Empire. "We were very careful about choosing only the best doctors to work with in the area. We also made special arrangements for patients to have easy access to the top cardiologists: Dr. Venkat Devineni, Dr. Omer Ahmed and Dr. Syed Raza. They are members of the Academy of Heart Care Excellence at St. Mary," said Dr. Kelly Ahmed.
Patients in need of care can call for same-day appointments with their own physician. After-hours, patients may also go to any of Dr. Mike's Walk-In Clinics for urgent care. There are five locations, including a Hesperia facility open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The group is in the process of opening a Senior Wellness Center, which will focus on preventive care, disease management, patient education and overall well-being. This will be provided at no extra cost to the senior patients.
Alliance Desert Physicians accept most major health plans including: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, PacifiCare /United Health and many PPO plans. Medicare Advantage plans accepted include: Aetna Senior, Blue Cross Senior, Citizens Choice Health Plan, Health Net Seniority Plus, Inter Valley Health Plan and Secure Horizons/AARP Medicare Select. Those who would like an Alliance doctor for their primary care physician should simply call the number on their insurance card.
The insurance contracts were negotiated by Alliance's business partner, EPIC Management, which is a health care management company owned by Beaver Medical Group and Loma Linda University. This affiliation should improve patient access to specialists at Beaver Medical Group and Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Profiles of the Alliance Physicians, a list of specialists, urgent care information and more is available on their website, www.alliancedesertphysicians.com. More information and brochures are available by calling (760) 241-4929.
Contacts:
Alliance Desert Physicians
Dr. Anupama Sharma, (760)
241-4929