IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc. on Tuesday said it acquired three related hospitalist practice groups in New England.

Hospitalists are physicians who care for admitted patients. The North Hollywood operator of hospital-based physician practices said it has acquired Omni Medical Diagnostics in Fall River, Mass.; Nexis Healthcare Inc. in Taunton, Mass.; and Park Medical Associates in North Smithfield, R.I. The medical groups have a combined annualized volume of about 65,000 patient encounters.

Terms of the deal, which brings to eight the number of practices the company has acquired so far this year, were not disclosed. IPC at the end of last year employed or had affiliations with roughly 1,200 hospitalist physicians in more than 220 practices in 25 states.

Shares closed up 84 cents, or 2 percent, to $45.03 on the Nasdaq.