Post Author: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care centers.
Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support the underserved community within the past five years, including areas like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education, and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers.
In the 2020 – 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings, Hoag is the highest-ranked hospital in Orange County, and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.
Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care centers.
Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support the underserved community within the past five years, including areas like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education, and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers.
In the 2020 - 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings, Hoag is the highest-ranked hospital in Orange County, and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.
If you had an assistant who helped you do your work faster, more efficiently, and more precisely, would you fear it?
With artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront of virtually everything today, two of the most common questions I hear in my daily practice are, “Do you use AI?” and “What does AI do for you?” For some, these questions stem from a desire to access cutting-edge tools, while others express …
Read more…
There are more cancer types than there are organ systems, but, according to Hollywood, there is essentially just “Cancer.” Capital C. Period.
Cancer-inflicted characters on the silver screen also primarily face just one outcome: death. This usually follows a montage of chemotherapy treatments that leave movie stars bald and purple under the eyes. There is no targeted immunotherapy in Hollywood. No clinical trials. No genomic medicine. Just an amorphous round of …
Read more…
Twenty years ago, the headlines were grim. It was common for studies to warn: “Rising childhood obesity will decrease life expectancy.” In large part, those predictions came true. The rise in obesity – both in children and adults – has correlated to a catastrophic rise in chronic disease that continues to affect life expectancy, cost of care, and quality of life.
But take a look at the health news headlines now, …
Read more…
For the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been proving itself as an effective tool in breast cancer screening. An ever-growing list of research studies has shown that using AI in mammography can safely and efficiently reduce patient wait times while reducing the pressure on in-demand radiologists.
This is significant, as early detection greatly improves patient outcomes and long-term survival. Imagine how much more significant it would be if AI …
Read more…
Pop Quiz: At what age do medical experts recommend women of average risk for breast cancer begin receiving screening mammograms?
- 40
- 45
- 50
- All of the above.
If you answered “D,” you are correct. Confused? I don’t blame you. Medical societies and independent task forces do not agree on when to begin or end screening mammograms for women at average risk of developing breast cancer. This has led to confusion and …
Read more…
If you want to know whether a standard-of-care medication will work to treat your depression, flip a coin.
More than half of all patients treated for major depressive disorder (MDD), the clinical name for what is typically thought of as depression, don’t respond to the first treatment option prescribed to them. Even those who do respond often won’t see the full clinical benefit for up to 12 weeks. And yet, prescribing …
Read more…
A recent study out of England found that walking just under 10,000 steps a day reduces a person’s risk of developing dementia by 50 percent. Pick up the pace to a “brisk” walk (over 40 steps per minute), and that risk goes down even further. Perhaps most strikingly, the authors found that even a low number of daily steps was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
The walking study …
Read more…
As a colorectal surgeon, I address complex intestinal issues with state-of-the-art interventions. Fortunately for most people, the key to a healthy digestive system isn’t that complicated. A proper diet, regular exercise, and stress reduction all help create a healthier and happier gut.
The “mind-gut connection” influences how you think and feel. Imagine a marathon runner nervous at the start of a race who runs to the bathroom first. Or how a …
Read more…
Most people with scoliosis will never require surgery. But who does need surgery, and how do you know?
Often diagnosed in childhood, scoliosis is characterized by an abnormal curve in the spine that can range from as small as 10 degrees to more than 100 degrees. In pediatric patients, this can result in pulmonary problems if the curve is severe.
However, pediatric patients’ complaints are mostly centered around their appearance due to …
Read more…
In an exciting recent study, researchers found that for adults with obesity, weight loss through bariatric surgery lowered their risk of cancer by 35% and reduced their risk of cancer-related death by 43%. This was true of both gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgeries, and the results were observed ten years after patients’ procedures.
This is great news for people who have seen weight-loss success through bariatric surgery. The study …
Read more…
In recent decades, mounting evidence has suggested the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous member of the herpes family that causes infectious mononucleosis (a.k.a. the “kissing disease”), can cause multiple sclerosis (MS). Last month, a study published in the journal Science went even further, citing EBV infection as likely the leading cause of MS. It is a compelling connection that begs many questions. For example, if someone has …
Read more…
People who experience debilitating back pain come to their doctors with one pressing question: Do I need back surgery? Often, they are surprised to hear me, a neurosurgeon, answer, “No.” In many cases, physical therapy, pain management, weight loss management, and physiatry can help people to delay – and in some cases avoid – back surgery.
However, if those remedies don’t work well enough, a person might decide that spine surgery …
Read more…
“Is it safe for a pregnant woman to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?” This is the biggest question being asked of OB/GYNs right now. The short answer is “yes.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine have come out with strong recommendations that pregnant and lactating women receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Preliminary research suggests that vaccinating pregnant women even confers some …
Read more…
Motherhood can be joyous, frustrating, terrifying, miraculous, exhausting, and messy. It is all these things at once in normal times. But these, as we know, are not normal times.
Among the many aspects of life that COVID-19 has upended, maternal mental health is one that could have lasting implications not only for mothers but also for entire families, as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are linked to premature delivery, low …
Read more…
If you suspect that you or a loved one is having a stroke, call 911.
It’s a call that can mean the difference between life or death. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, it is a call that too few made. Across the nation, stroke death rates increased as people elected to stay home with stroke symptoms rather than seek immediate help.
May is Stroke Awareness Month, and I and other …
Read more…
People who find themselves reaching for antacid several times a month, might consider reaching out to their doctor instead.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the same condition that causes heartburn, is also linked to a deadly form of esophageal cancer, adenocarcinoma. Lack of awareness about the link between reflux and cancer has contributed to a 733 percent increase in adenocarcinoma in the last 30 years. That’s not a typo. Adenocarcinoma of the …
Read more…
In the next few years, the biggest advancements in cancer care may occur at the smallest level, the level of individual molecules.
By imaging individual molecules on cancer cells, malignancies can be detected when they are smaller and more easily treated. Targeting individual molecules has also allowed groundbreaking new therapies with great precision, increasing the efficacy of treatment and minimizing side effects.
This effort sounds like something out of “science fiction,” but …
Read more…
We all think we know what a bruise looks like. Black and blue, brownish around the edges. But depending on the circumstances, the same bruise can look different from one person to another.
To a well-loved child who skinned her knee, a bruise might look like a bad memory of an epic tree-climb attempt. To a patient with diabetes, a similar bruise might look like the onset of a life-threatening emergency. …
Read more…
Radiation oncology has been around for a century, and, at first, advancements in the field came rapidly. The evolution of X-rays and CT scans to inform treatment. Intraoperative radiation therapy. Technology that allows for tailored dose distribution.
But for the past 20 years, the pace of innovations seemed to slow. We remained stymied, for instance, by organs in the abdomen that move with every breath a patient takes. We struggled to …
Read more…
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time when many people in my profession shine a spotlight on the dangers of taking lung health for granted. This year, few need the reminder.
COVID-19 is deadly, contagious, and upending life as we know it. It is also a lung disease. As a thoracic surgeon, I tell people that, if you’re worried about COVID-19, what you’re really worried about is lung health. And …
Read more…
