YDM Mgmt. Co. v. Sharp Cmty. Med. Grp., Inc.

*616 I.

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff YDM Management Company, Inc. (YDM) appeals from a judgment of the trial court in favor of defendant Sharp Community Medical Group, Inc. (Sharp), after Sharp successfully moved for summary judgment of YDM's operative complaint.

YDM, a San Diego company that purchases accounts receivable from physicians and health care providers, purchased accounts receivable from Doctors Express, *483 a company that operates urgent care facilities in San Diego, for services rendered to Sharp managed care members. Sharp is an Independent Practice Association (IPA), which is an association of physicians that contracts to provide medical care to members. (See Inland Empire Health Plan v. Superior Court (2003) 108 Cal.App.4th 588 , 590, 133 Cal.Rptr.2d 735 ["[A]n IPA is an association of physicians that contracts to provide medical care to HMO members in the physicians' own offices. The IPA in turn contracts with each of its independent practitioner members regarding the terms of participation in the IPA, including payment."]; see also Heritage Provider Network, Inc. v. Superior Court (2008) 158 Cal.App.4th 1146 , 1149, fn. 2, 70 Cal.Rptr.3d 645 ["IPA's contract with…