UCSF Stanford Health Care Purchases Western Journal of Medicine

Business Wire, Oct 6, 1998

SAN FRANCISCO--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 6, 1998--UCSF Stanford Health Care, in partnership with the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Publishing Group, has purchased the Western Journal of Medicine and will relaunch it next spring to showcase the best in West Coast medicine.

The content will be revamped to make the journal of direct use to practicing physicians, particularly those in primary care. In addition to its monthly print version, a web version is planned.

Dr. Bruce Wintroub, chief medical officer of UCSF Stanford, said, "We think this journal will be a forum for the measurement of health care quality. It will feature articles that will assist physicians in practicing better medicine and understanding what is happening in health care worldwide."

Dr. Richard Smith, editor of the British Medical Journal and chief executive of the BMJ Publishing Group, said, "Our aim is to turn the Western Journal of Medicine into a leading international medical publication, embracing the innovative culture inherent in medical practice on the American West Coast. What is happening in California today will be happening in the rest of the world tomorrow. We want the Western Journal of Medicine to showcase the trailblazing role that the West Coast plays in a practical, educational and readable format that will assist physicians in their day-to-day practice."

Wintroub said UCSF Stanford's decision to buy the journal was based on its commitment to the dissemination of new information on clinical quality and the newest developments in health care research to all practicing physicians.

"The relaunch of the Western Journal of Medicine will provide a welcome peer-reviewed outlet for highlighting international advances in medical practice and research from the perspective of the western states," said Eugene A. Bauer, vice president for medical affairs and dean of Stanford University School of Medicine.

"By publishing the Western Journal of Medicine, UCSF Stanford Health Care strives to provide service to the practicing physician. In this effort, it is backed by the collective expertise of the faculties at the UCSF and Stanford medical schools," added Haile T. Debas, dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs.

While the British Medical Journal will remain a separate publication, there will be instances when it and the Western Journal of Medicine will publish papers simultaneously.

The Western Journal of Medicine, founded in 1902, will continue to be the official journal of the California Medical Association. UCSF Stanford and the BMJ Publishing Group purchased it from Cardin Jennings Publishers in Virginia.

UCSF Stanford Health Care operates four acute care hospitals -- UCSF Medical Center, UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center, Stanford Hospital and Clinics and Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Annually, the hospitals log about 54,000 inpatient admissions and 1 million visits by outpatients coming from California and beyond.