NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 30, 2018 --- Hoag Hospital Newport Beach recently joined a small and accomplished group of hospitals to complete its 10,000^th robotic surgery using the da Vinci^® System.

The distinction is not only a milestone for the hospital; it also underscores the significant growth of minimally invasive surgery.

A decade ago, a few intrepid surgeons at Hoag began honing their skills in the then-nascent field of robotic surgery, an area of medicine that could provide faster recovery times and more delicate, intricate surgical approaches.

Today, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is a renowned leader in this exceptional field of medicine, with 10 surgical specialties, more than 80 nurses and surgical technicians and 42 surgeons contributing to the robotics program. Hoag currently has six robots, each one paid for by philanthropy, at its two hospital campuses: four da Vinci® Xi robots and one da Vinci® Si robot in Newport Beach, and one Xi robot in Irvine. At the Newport Beach and Irvine campuses combined, Hoag has performed more than 11,211 robotic surgeries.

While robotics is still just one tool in a surgeon’s tool box, this advanced computer-assisted technology is becoming the standard of care for many procedures in a variety of areas of expertise at Hoag, including cancer, women’s and heart programs, as well as general surgery.

Hoag is the fourth highest volume provider of both total robotic-assisted surgeries and gynecologic robotic-assisted surgeries in the nation, as well as the third highest volume of gynecologic oncology robotic procedures.

“Reaching the 10,000^th mark in Newport Beach is in and of itself not what we’re celebrating. We’re celebrating the achievements in minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery that has given new options to patients who would not otherwise be able to withstand lifesaving procedures,” said John (Jeb) V. Brown, M.D., medical director of Hoag’s Gynecologic Robotics Program. “From elderly patients to those weakened by disease, robotic surgery has allowed us better precision, shorter operating times, less blood loss and better recovery than traditional options.”

Hoag is one of only two hospitals in the nation to be designated an Executive Enrichment Program for Robots by Intuitive Surgical. And the Surgical Review Corporation named Hoag a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery (COERS), a designation reserved for health care institutions that consistently deliver the safest, highest-quality care in robotics.

“Hoag consistently stands out in robotic surgery due to our commitment to evidenced-based, leading-edge medicine,” Dr. Brown said. “As an institution we are naturally inclined toward the tools and techniques that will lead to better results for our patients. In many cases, robotic surgery provides those tools and techniques.”

For some patients, robotic surgery allows surgeons to do things they couldn’t otherwise achieve. In mitral valve repair surgery, for instance, robotic surgery allows a surgeon to forgo an open-chest procedure and perform a valve repair instead of a full replacement, which studies have shown are more beneficial to the patient.

“This technology has allowed surgeries that were once invasive to become outpatient procedures,” Dr. Brown said. “This minimizes pain and discomfort, and eliminates the need for a hospital stay. ‘Robotic surgery’ still sounds exotic to many patients, but in reality it is often simply synonymous with ‘quality care.’”

ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN

Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 425,000 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 eight health centers and eleven urgent care centers. 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 two ambulatory surgical centers. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St. Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2017 - 2018 U.S. News & World Report, andBecker’s Hospital Review named Hoag as one of the 2016 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received four times. For an unprecedented 22 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

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