When asked if they would recommend their primary care physician to family and friends, patients at the NorthBay Center for Primary Care overwhelmingly said “yes.” So it’s no wonder expansion plans are under way.

The newest medical office, expected to open by year’s end, will be located in VacaValley Health Plaza on the campus of NorthBay VacaValley Hospital at 1010 Nut Tree Road in Vacaville.

The practice will open with two family practitioners and an internal medicine physician. The new 8,400-square-foot center will eventually grow to six physicians.

“We saw a need for an additional location. We are out of room in the current office and the demand for primary care continues to grow,” explaines Margy Walbolt, vice president of administrative services. “We have great doctors and a compassionate and caring staff. It’s an understandable attraction to new patients.”

NorthBay physicians were rated among the highest in the state by their patients, according to a special Quality Report Card released by the California State Office of the Patient Advocate.

Physicians were ranked in the top 8 percent of the 139 medical groups participating in the annual study.

The Office of the Patient Advocate is an independent state office established to represent the interests of health plan members. Operating under the umbrella of the California Department of Managed Health Care, its mission is to help patients get the care they deserve and to promote transparency and quality in health care.

“What is best about this Report Card is that these high ratings come from the people who matter the most—our patients,” Walbolt added.

NorthBay Healthcare’s Center for Primary Care currently operates three clinic locations: 421 Nut Tree Road in Vacaville; 5140 Business Center Drive in Green Valley; and 2458 Hilborn Road in Fairfield.