Bass Medical Group

Founded in 2006, BASS Medical Group today boasts more than 400 physicians and medical professionals, providing patient-centric care in more than 200 locations in the Bay Area and Central Valley, including Brentwood and Antioch. Known for operating smaller, independent physician-led practices, BASS offers personal, patient-focused comprehensive medical care and specialty services. BASS has had a presence in the Brentwood area for approximately 15 years. It saw unmet community health needs and, as such, deployed a variety of specialists to the area to serve patients and their families. 

“Our mission is to create a personal and seamless healthcare experience for our patients by providing the highest quality care where they live,” says Inez Wondeh, BASS Medical Group CEO. “At BASS, we believe it is critical to remain focused on the health and wellness needs of the communities we serve, and we think independent medical groups with the breadth and depth of clinical services we offer are uniquely positioned to exceed patient expectations and deliver exceptional care.” 

“An independent physician who belongs to BASS Medical Group can practice medicine as he or she sees fit,” said Dr. deBoisblanc, one of the founding physicians. “This allows our doctors to create goals that align with prioritizing care and allows physicians and their patients to make healthcare decisions that are best for their patients.” The result, he added, is a better quality of life for patients. 

BASS physicians use a shared electronic medical record (EMR), which helps doctors more effectively diagnose patients, reduces medical errors, and provides an overall safer level of care. Additionally, the electronic health record improves patient and provider interaction and communication, is more convenient for patients as they can access their healthcare record online, and offers safer, more reliable messaging and medication prescribing. “It’s nearly impossible and certainly costly for an independent physician to keep up with technology to practice good medicine,” said Dr. deBoisblanc. “Our doctors can concentrate on practicing good medicine and not having to worry about implementing the latest technology by having access to common EMR that connects the group.” 

“To avoid having independent doctors spend their day dealing with large insurance companies and health systems, hiring healthcare business professionals to concentrate on the business side of running a multispecialty medical group is more efficient and ultimately helps improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. DeBoisblanc. “We wanted to create a group with the economy of skills that would take the administrative burden off of doctors and let them practice medicine,” he added. 

As an independent medical group, BASS physicians typically provide more care in an outpatient setting which reduces the cost of care to patients and insurance companies. This helps BASS to support efforts in achieving health care’s Triple Aim, which is to enhance patient experience, improve population health, and reduce the cost of care.

“We have a number of state-of-the-art outpatient facilities throughout the Bay Area staffed with medical professionals to deliver personalized care effectively and efficiently,” said Dr. deBoisblanc. These facilities can typically provide easier access to patients both in terms of location and appointment availability and offer similar quality services at a lower cost point. In recent years, BASS has opened BASS Cancer Center and new ancillary services in Walnut Creek as well as vascular and bariatric surgical programs.

BASS’ FOCUS ON BRENTWOOD

As the population grew in the Brentwood area and new neighborhoods were created in one of the fastest growing small cities in California, BASS committed resources to serve the community health needs. The East County and specifically Brentwood continued to grow over the years, and it was clear that the burgeoning population here was underserved by specialist physicians. As such, BASS has expanded its clinical capabilities in the area and now includes adult primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, urology, otolaryngology, and general surgery. In 2020, it purchased a building at 6600 Lone Tree Way in Brentwood that now serves as a multispecialty outpatient clinic and a key central location for BASS patients. 

“There was a shortage of specialists in Brentwood and Antioch, now we are seeing a shortage of primary care physicians, so we are expanding accordingly,” says Dr. deBoisblanc. “Our plan is to bring more primary care physicians to Brentwood to better serve the population, and to provide a strong physician network to the community here locally where they live and work.” BASS physicians currently practice in eight locations in Brentwood, at 2400 Balfour Road, 6600 Lone Tree Way, 100 Cortona Way, and 350 John Muir Parkway. Additionally, the group boasts seven locations in Antioch.

BASS EXPANDS SERVICES TO PATIENTS

In addition to providing a network of primary care (family medicine), specialists, and surgical care, BASS Medical Group offers a number of other healthcare services for its patients, including a comprehensive cancer center, ancillary services, and surgical programs. 

CANCER CENTER 

The BASS Medical Group Cancer Center opened in March 2022 and was created to establish a comprehensive ‘one-stop’ location for patients receiving care for cancer. 

The 100,000 square-foot center and supporting clinics, located in Walnut Creek, provide personalized care with the latest technology in a comfortable and modern setting for patients and their families. 

The comprehensive cancer center, located at 575 Lennon Lane in Walnut Creek, is providing advanced cancer treatment in an approachable and easily accessible setting where patients can obtain a complete suite of cancer-related care including medical oncology and infusion services, advanced radiation treatment options, PET and CT imaging, and patient support services. 

“The BASS Cancer Center is transforming the way individuals and families receive specialized services by providing exceptional and collaborative cancer care that is more accessible than many traditional options patients have had,” said Inez Wondeh, Chief Executive Officer of BASS Medical Group. “Opening the doors of the BASS Cancer Center is an exciting day for everyone at BASS and for patients in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, as it provides residents from across the region access to the best cancer care available from the physicians in their communities. Many patients will no longer have to receive care at their physician’s office, then be sent to a cancer center where their physician may or may not practice. Because the BASS Cancer Center is integrated into a large multispecialty practice, all of the patients’ care will be provided within the same group of physicians who coordinate and treat all aspects of a patients’ cancer treatment.” 

BASS Cancer Center has partnered with Contra Costa Oncology (CCO), a leading medical oncology practice that specializes in comprehensive cutting-edge treatment programs for all forms of cancer. As the medical oncology partner for the BASS Cancer Center, CCO’s highly trained, board-certified physicians and oncology nurse practitioners have the depth and expertise to address the wide array of concerns and challenges faced by oncology and hematology patients and their families.

The BASS Cancer Center houses unparalleled technology enabling the center to provide advanced care to all patients. This most notably includes BASS’ MRIdianTM System from ViewRay, the world’s first noninvasive MRI-guided therapy system that can take images and treat cancer patients simultaneously while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissue. The MRIdianTM System provides the best possible care while shortening treatment courses and improving the patient’s quality of life. This system paired with the center’s other treatment options and suite of support services will allow BASS physicians to treat all aspects of a patient’s cancer diagnosis and help patients improve their health and begin to heal.

With innovative and specialized treatment options, the BASS Cancer Center now provides localized care to patients in the East Bay, while continuing to service patients throughout Northern California and the Central Valley.

“We take a team-like, multi-disciplinary approach to providing cancer care,” said Mary K. Cardoza, M.D., FACS, who has practiced in Contra Costa County for more than 25 years. “Residents in Contra Costa have always had the impression that they had to travel to Stanford or the University of California–San Francisco (UCSF) for state-of-the-art cancer care. That’s no longer true. Our goal is to provide high-quality care as close to home as possible.” 

Dr. Cardoza noted that patients at the Cancer Center are assigned a nurse navigator who helps guide the patient and his or her family through the process of battling cancer and receiving treatment. The nurse navigator also helps coordinate the care the patient receives, usually from multiple doctors, helping alleviate the stress that naturally occurs for cancer patients and their loved ones. 

“Our goal is to take the pressure off of patients and make their experiences at the center as seamless as possible,” said Dr. Cardoza. “Less stress helps both the patients and their families.”

Dr. Cardoza noted that the nurse navigator and patient meet early in the treatment program, providing an opportunity for the navigator to outline the process and offer support, identify the tools and resources available to help complete treatment, connect the patient with the healthcare team, and promote healthy lifestyle choices and self-care, among other services. 

The center boasts the latest technology, such as MRIdian, a precise cancer treating technology that delivers accurate, precise, and personalized cancer treatment, minimizing side effects and damage and radiation exposure to normal tissue. Using technology like MRIdian shortens treatment times and improves the patient’s quality of life. 

Photos By German Siu and Provided