In The News
Hoag Receives “Blue Distinction Center+” Designation
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, with campuses in Newport Beach and Irvine, said it received a “Blue Distinction Center+” designation by insurer Anthem Blue Cross’ Blue Distinction Centers for Cardiac Care program. The centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes based on objective measures. To read the … Read More
Early Stage Breast Cancer Does Need Treatment, Study Finds
Early stage breast cancers known as DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) should be treated with surgery, not a “wait-and-watch” approach, according to new research. Experts have debated whether to treat early DCIS or simply monitor it to see if it progresses. The new study suggests excision of DCIS — cancer confined to the milk ducts … Read More
Overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance, death
It's time we come clean about antibiotics. They are not the harmless miracle drugs the public and physicians think they are, they don't work for everything, and if we keep using them indiscriminately, they might not work when we really need them. Drug-resistant bacteria are on the rise because of the overuse and misuse of … Read More
Hoag Urgent Care & Family Medicine Comes to Los Olivos Marketplace
Earlier this month, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian opened its ninth urgent care facility in Orange County, Hoag Urgent Care & Family Medicine at Los Olivos Marketplace. Managed by Hoag Medical Group, Hoag Urgent Care & Family Medicine will be open 363 days a year, seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, treating urgent or … Read More
How to safeguard yourself against colorectal cancer
This may sound familiar, but when it comes to preventing cancer, an ardent reminder is always a good thing. This month marks National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it is an opportune time for everyone to take a hard look at lifestyle, better understand risk factors and commit to being proactive in maintaining colorectal health. … Read More
Thinking about a C-section? Here's why your hospital may say no.
At hospitals across California, administrators are pushing doctors to perform fewer cesarean deliveries, hiring birth coaches and asking pregnant women to stay in labor longer. For years, medical experts have said that C-sections — a surgical procedure in which a doctor makes an incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus to remove the baby — … Read More
Lung cancer screening now a routine for smokers
Medical screening tests are done to save lives. Most people know about the importance of screening mammography in the fight against breast cancer and colonoscopy in the prevention of colon and rectal cancer. These tests have become routine in the fight against cancer. Now added to the list is a screening test that can detect … Read More
Hoag uses virtual reality to take surgery into a new dimension
Marcus Barnes couldn’t have envisioned what he was about to see. One month after successful brain surgery, the Irvine resident sat in an operating room at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach and was handed a pair of virtual reality goggles. “There’s your long-gone nemesis,” said Dr. Christopher Duma, neurosurgeon and medical director of the brain tumor … Read More
PPI drugs are not without their side effects
For years, anti-heartburn medication was prescribed like candy. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) seemed to cure the symptoms of heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux without any side effects. Or so we thought more than a decade ago. Now it seems as though every year researchers discover a new area of the body that has been negatively affected … Read More
Unlikely love story: Brain cancer brought this couple together
Mark Franklin noticed he was losing the ability to communicate. He couldn’t think of everyday words, such as dog or pen. While working as a flight attendant, Cindy Godshall had a seizure in the middle of a Beijing hotel lobby. Both were diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing cancer of certain cells that support neurons in … Read More