Partnership will improve hospital

For some time now, officials at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian have batted down rumors that plans were underway to close down the pediatric unit at the Newport Beach medical center.

Not true, they said. The pediatric unit will stay.

Now, though, we learn there was something going on with Hoag and children’s care as hospital officials announced a new alliance with Children’s Hospital of Orange County, or CHOC, one of the premier facilities for pediatric care in the county.

So how will Hoag be able to partner with CHOC, which is based in the city of Orange? Well it’s simple. A robot will make it possible.

That’s right, starting Monday, a critical care doctor at CHOC will be able to assess and monitor a child in Hoag’s emergency room by using a remote robotic device.

“I think this telemedicine is an important collaborative effort between CHOC and Hoag to provide expert care at Hoag in pediatrics,” Hoag’s emergency room doctor John Reil told our reporter. “I think in a lot of ways it provides an advantage for patient care, and I’m hoping … it improves patient outcomes.”

Medical advances like these are evident everywhere at Hoag. A tour of the Women’s Pavilion will demonstrate the latest in digital mammography and the advantages that has given doctors in early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

The hospital’s advancements in cardio treatment are known the world over.

So while it’s certainly no secret that Hoag Hospital is a pioneer in groundbreaking medical technologies, this alliance with CHOC just continues in this tradition in a new and exciting world of robotics.

We look forward to hearing about the successes of this alliance in the near future.