Chronology

Bayside started as a solo pediatric practice in Oakland in June of 1979, when Budd Shenkin hung out his shingle. No patients and not a lot of experience. He spent the next eight years building a practice and learning to be a pediatrician. Then in 1987 Bayside got their next recruit – Janet Perlman MD. They expanded to a shared office in Alameda that year, and in two years were joined by Charlie Woodard MD, and in 1991 by Beverly Estes. In that year we expanded to another office in Pinole. Not long after that others joined the practice and in 1995 the Walnut Creek office opened.

Up to this time Bayside had grown by simply establishing new offices. But in the late 1990’s we made practice acquisitions. First we purchased a small family practice in Berkeley, and moved it to where it is today, just around the corner from Alta Bates Hospital. Then we purchased a wonderful pediatric practice in Pleasanton and Livermore, which had been in existence for about 20 years. In subsequent years we enlarged both of those offices, and established new ones in San Ramon in Tracy. Along the way we got too big to put our billing and administrative offices in the back part of one of the offices, so we established an administrative office in a business park in Dublin. And that’s where we are today – about 30 practitioners in nine separate offices and a separate business office.

Most recently we have expanded beyond primary care and added a pediatric surgeon, Steve Yedlin MD, to our roster. We think this gives us an added dimension of service for our patients.

Why did we expand?

Generally practices tend to be small, with one or two offices, or they tend to be very large and sponsored by hospitals or other large entities. At Bayside, we have always been animated by a different vision. We have wanted to be big enough to do things that size allows, yet small enough to be personal with our patients and among ourselves.

Being on the large size has enabled us to be professionally managed. This means that our clinicians can be free to practice medicine and not worry about staffing, accounts receivable, etc. Our administrative staff takes care of hiring, paying, billing, etc., tasks which clinicians in smaller practices generally have to do themselves.

As a group practice we can also do things professionally that we might be able to do otherwise. We can educate one another. We can go on vacation and know that others are there to take our place. Our patients can easily get second opinions right here without leaving Bayside. When patients move they can frequently find another nearby Bayside office and won’t have to switch practices. We can mount formal Quality Improvement Initiatives. We can have a Medical Director to ensure we keep abreast of all new medical developments. We can have a mix of experienced clinicians and younger ones with more recent training. It is a very invigorating way to practice medicine.

But while size has its advantages, keeping the advantages of being small is very important. The essence of medicine is the connection between patient and clinician. We have small offices that are geared to supporting that relationship, and that is the way it always will be.

Milestones

1. June, 1979 – Bayside begins as a solo pediatric practice in Oakland
2. 1983 – Bayside an initial pediatrics practice in Hill Physicians Medical Group
3. 1985 – Alameda office established
4. 1986 – Bayside an initial pediatrics practice in Alta Bates Medical Group
5. 1987 – Second physician joins practice, Dr. Perlman
6. 1989 – Third physician, Dr. Woodard, joins practice
7. 1991 – Fourth physician, Dr. Estes, joins, and Pinole office opened
8. 1993 – Walnut Creek office opened
9. 1995 – Family practice joins Bayside Medical Group
10. 1995 – First Administrator hired by Bayside
11. 1997 – Pleasanton/Livermore practice added
12. 2000 – Administrative office established in Dublin
13. 2003 – San Ramon office opened
14. 2003 – formal Quality Improvement Initiative begun
15. 2004 – Lactation counseling service established in Pleasanton
16. 2007 – Tracy office opened
17. 2008 – Pediatric surgeon, Dr. Yedlin, joins Bayside Medical Group
18. 2009 – Separate Medical Director position established with Dr. Ash