About CEMG

Independent.
Experienced.
Committed.

For fifty years, Columbia Emergency Medical Group has set the standard for emergency medicine in Southern California — as a fiercely independent physician group with deep roots at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center.

Our Story

Built from the
ground up, in 1976

In 1976, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center became one of the first emergency departments in the world to be staffed exclusively by residency-trained emergency physicians. There were six of us, caring for 60–70 patients a day in a 20-bed ED. Today, over 40 board-certified physicians and advanced practitioners see over 300 patients daily.

"The emergency department considers itself a service department — we serve our shared patients, our colleagues, and the Medical Center. Our door is always open, both literally and figuratively." Dr. Anthony Arguija — Medical Director & President/CEO
Our Mission

Excellence as
a standard

Emergency medicine cannot be practiced in a vacuum. It requires the support of our staff colleagues and the Medical Center. With that support, and in collegial cooperation with our staff, the ED at LBMMC has become one of the most comprehensively capable emergency departments in Los Angeles County.

We endeavor to exceed the expectations of our patients, colleagues, and hospital administrators — through proven organizational strategies that enhance patient satisfaction, reduce wait times, and improve outcomes.

Our Capabilities Get in Touch
100K+
Patient visits annually
40+
Board-certified physicians
65+
Emergency department beds
50yrs
Serving Long Beach
History

Five decades of growth

1976
Founding

LBMMC becomes one of the first emergency departments in the world staffed exclusively by residency-trained emergency medicine physicians. Six physicians. Twenty beds. 60–70 patients per day.

1980s
Paramedic Base Station Designation

CEMG earns designation as an authorized paramedic base station, taking on medical oversight and direct radio control for EMS units across the region.

1990s
Trauma & Pediatric Expansion

The ED achieves Level II Trauma Center designation and earns EDAP (Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics) status — far exceeding minimum requirements. The group expands its pediatric emergency medicine fellowship-trained physician roster.

2000s
Stroke & Cardiac Center

Designated as a receiving center for acute stroke and myocardial infarction treatment. Direct cath lab activation and neurology response protocols are established. Academic affiliations with LAC+USC, Harbor-UCLA, and UCI are formalized.

2010s
ECMO Capability

CEMG becomes one of a limited number of EDs in Los Angeles County capable of receiving and initiating ECMO for refractory v-fib cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. The daily census surpasses 300 patients.

Today
100,000 Patients a Year

40+ board-certified physicians. 6 advanced practitioners. 65+ beds. 100,000 patients per year. Two ABEM examiner faculty. And the same commitment to independent, excellence-driven emergency medicine that defined us in 1976.

Leadership

The people who lead CEMG

Dr. Anthony Arguija
Dr. Anthony Arguija, DO, MBA
Medical Director & President / CEO CEMG

Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Arguija received his medical degree from Western University COMP and completed his EM residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he served as academic chief resident. He has proudly practiced Emergency Medicine as an attending physician at Long Beach Medical Center since 2009 and was the recipient of the Golden Apple Teaching Award. In his free time, he enjoys running and cycling and doing ultramarathons.

Dr. Justin Arndt
Dr. Justin Arndt, MD
Chairman, LBMC

Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Arndt received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and completed his residency at Los Angeles County–Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He has served as an attending emergency physician at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center for over a decade and currently serves as Chairman of the Emergency Department.

Dr. Rishi Bhargava
Dr. Rishi Bhargava, MD
Chairman ED Pediatrics

Dr. Bhargava received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, completed his pediatric residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and his fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Loma Linda Medical Center. He serves as the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Director for the Pediatric Section at Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, and was the recipient of the 2023 Munzer Family Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research.

Dr. Andrew Wittenberg Former Leadership
Dr. Andrew Wittenberg, MD, MPH
Former Medical Director & Chairman

Dr. Wittenberg received his medical degree from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, his Master of Public Health from Drexel University, and completed his residency at LAC+USC Medical Center. A Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and national oral board examiner for ABEM, he served as Long Beach Memorial Emergency Department Chairman starting in 2015 and served as Medical Director from 2020 to 2025.

Dr. Bobby Massoudian Former Leadership
Dr. Bobby Massoudian, MD, MS
Former Medical Director, LBMC

Dr. Massoudian received his medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and completed his Emergency Medicine residency at LAC+Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He served as Medical Director of the Long Beach Memorial Emergency Department from 2015 to 2020, bringing strong academic and clinical leadership to the department during his tenure.

Dr. William Koenig Former Leadership
Dr. William Koenig, MD
Former Medical Director, LBMC

Dr. Koenig served as Medical Director of the Long Beach Memorial Emergency Department and as Medical Director of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency from 1987–1993 and again from 2003–2015. A Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and ABEM oral board examiner, he was instrumental in implementing the STEMI and Stroke systems of care across Los Angeles County.

Dr. Gary Moreau Former Leadership
Dr. Gary Moreau, MD
Former Medical Director, LBMC

Dr. Moreau received his medical degree from the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and is Board Certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, serving as Medical Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach and Program Director of Emergency Medicine for Graduate Medical Education. A Senior ABEM Oral Examiner, Golden Apple Teaching Award recipient, and winner of the Munzer Family Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, he has been one of CEMG's most decorated educators.

Academic & Institutional Affiliations

Our partners

MemorialCare LBMMC
Primary hospital partner. CEMG has staffed the LBMMC Emergency Department since 1976.
Miller Children's Hospital
CEMG provides pediatric emergency coverage for Miller's — a pediatric critical care receiving center.
LAC+USC Medical Center
Emergency medicine residency training affiliation. CEMG physicians provide didactic and clinical instruction.
Harbor-UCLA
Residency training affiliation for Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine programs.
UC Irvine Health
Affiliation supporting UCI Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, and the UCI-CHOC-MCH Pediatrics program.
UCLA Mattel Children's
Pediatric residency training affiliation in collaboration with the UCLA Mattel Children's program.
Ronald Reagan UCLA
Emergency medicine residents from the Ronald Reagan UCLA program rotate through LBMMC as part of their core curriculum.