Patients are the Heart of Hoag’s Success
Guest Letter from Patty Huang, M.D., Chief of Staff
When people think of outstanding world-class hospitals, most envision attributes such as excellent patient outcomes, cutting-edge technology, pioneering medical research, exceptional physicians and dedicated nurses. Renowned health care institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic, Cedars-Sinai, UCLA, or the Mayo Clinic come to mind as hospitals that demonstrate such attributes.
In Orange County and the surrounding area, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian proudly stands among these giants. In the most recent U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings, Hoag was named among only 11 elite hospitals in the entire nation who achieved top ratings in all evaluated 17 procedures and conditions and the #1 hospital in Orange County for the fifth straight year. We are honored that the excellence, innovation and compassion of our physicians, nurses and health care workers has been recognized nationally.
If you were to ask the physicians at Hoag what propels our determined pursuit of excellence, we would point to the deep connection that we have with our patients and our community. Nearly 70 years ago, the hospital was founded by local community members and the Hoag Family to serve the health care needs of Orange County residents. That bond between hospital and community grows stronger and remains steadfast.
We are proud to be able to provide world-class, comprehensive, personalized care to our patients in their own backyard. Even as Hoag continues its steady ascension in the ranks of America’s elite and most prestigious medical institutions, our patients still regard us, first and foremost, as a community-centered hospital, and as their hospital. Hoag’s patients have consistently expected us – indeed, pushed us – to constantly redefine “the best” when it comes to the care Hoag provides them. It is an expectation that we consistently meet and strive to exceed.
In 1952, when our founders gathered on a promontory in Newport Beach and dedicated a new hospital to serve the people in Orange County, they could not have imagined the new technologies and innovations that we now offer our patients. Robotic-assisted surgery, virtual reality for surgical planning and the use of genetic markers to deliver personalized cancer treatments, are all examples of cutting-edge health care being offered at Hoag.
Our patients also play an active role in propelling us forward by their participation in clinical trials and their ongoing generous philanthropic support. What our founders would definitely recognize is the intellectual curiosity, the spirit of innovation and the drive to provide the best care possible. Their founding ideal remains our guiding principle: that our patients come first.
This is why Hoag leads the nation in the seven chronic conditions used in the evaluation:
– Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
– Diabetes
– Heart attack
– Heart failure
– Kidney failure
– Pneumonia
– Stroke
It is also why Hoag has some of the highest volumes and greatest national expertise in the 10 medical procedures evaluated:
– Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
– Aortic valve surgery
– Back surgery (spinal fusion)
– Colon cancer surgery
– Heart bypass surgery
– Hip fracture
– Hip replacement
– Knee replacement
– Lung cancer surgery
– Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)
Although health care now may look tremendously different compared to what it looked like when Hoag was first founded, some things will never change. Patients will get sick and in their time of need, they want doctors and nurses to care for them with expertise and compassion and they want a hospital that they trust. That is our touchstone and the north star that guides us in everything we do. Hoag’s culture of service and community emboldens our physicians and staff to do their best work, to innovate and to advocate for their patients. As proud as we are for the national accolades and recognitions that we receive, our greatest privilege is that our patients and community trust us to be their health care partners for life.
By: Stu News Newport