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Patient Scheduling for Mammograms Mammograms are still the gold standard to detect abnormalities and changes in breast tissue. To refer your patients for a digital mammogram at Community Hospital’s Medical Imaging Center, please have them call -. Community Hospital’s Medical Imaging Center is accredited by the American College of Radiology for Mammography services.Medical DialogueKEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OF SAN BERNARDINOFALL New Breast Cancer Procedure at Community HospitalIn honor of breast cancer awareness month, Community Hospital is pleased to share that we are now oering an alternative approach to patients needing surgery for breast cancer. This past August, Judi Anne Ramiscal, MD, Complex General Surgical Oncology, performed the hospital’s rst-ever oncoplastic breast surgery OBS, which combines breast cancer surgery with traditional plastic surgery incisions and techniques with the end goal being to remove the tumor while decreasing breast deformity to help patients heal both physically and emotionally. OBS allows for the removal of a large amount of tissue without sacricing cosmesis. This gives patients who might otherwise need a full mastectomy due to the size and location of their tumor, the opportunity to instead undergo a lumpectomy, and preserve their native breast tissue.A great benet to OBS is that it is performed in a single surgical session. The surgeon rst removes the tumor and a minimal amount of surrounding breast tissue. Then a bilateral breast reduction mammoplasty or lift mastopexy is done to ensure both breasts are symmetrical. “Recent studies have shown that OBS signicantly reduced the rates of a traditional mastectomy and postoperative re-excision in breast cancer patients,” shares Dr. Ramiscal. “Women who have undergone OBS also reported a high satisfaction with their breasts and improved psychosocial wellbeing compared to those who underwent a traditional mastectomy.”Our physicians’ specialized training now includes the latest breast surgery techniques, such as oncoplastic breast conserving surgery, including therapeutic reductions, mastopexy and ultrasound-guided partial mastectomies. We’re pleased to have this expertise and to oer oncoplastic surgery to patients.Judi Anne Ramiscal, MD Complex General Surgical Oncology
2 Community Hospital of San Bernardino Medical DialogueJoin Us for Wine & RosesPlease join Dignity Health Foundation – Inland Empire for the return of the biennial Gathering at Twilight Gala. Saturday, November 4, 2023DoubleTree by Hilton – Ontario AirportRegister today by scanning the QR code with your mobile phone or clicking on it.If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at - or by email at FoundationIE@CommonSpirit.org.Community Hospital’s Surgical Oncology ProceduresAmir Azar, MD, FACS, FSSO Medical Director, Surgical OncologyWe’re pleased to announce that Community Hospital is launching a new surgical oncology service line, making us the second most highly specialized cancer surgery program in San Bernardino County. Under the medical direction of Amir Azar, MD, Complex General Surgical Oncology, we’ll now oer our community a full spectrum of surgical oncology procedures provided by board-certied cancer surgeons at a world-class level. Dr. Azar most recently served as a Chief of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Complex General Oncology Surgery at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, and is one of a handful of surgeons in the United States to have completed fellowships in two of the most complex and demanding surgical specialties: multi-organ transplantation surgery and surgical oncology. Having extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Azar guides the surgical oncology team to apply these advanced techniques whenever appropriate, based on each patient’s clinical status.“Today, cancer surgery and care are in a very advanced eld. With new developments in technologies, we are able to cure most of the cancers that were deemed untreatable just a few years ago,” explains Dr. Azar. “That’s good news for our patients here in San Bernardino who can undergo advanced procedures close to home, from gastrointestinal cancer care, to liver and pancreas surgery, to oncoplastic breast surgery and skin cancer surgery that require advanced tissue reconstruction .” What’s more, many of these procedures are performed via the da Vinci Xi single console system, resulting in smaller incisions and faster recoveries.Community Hospital offers the following surgical procedures:Breast•Breast cancer•High risk lesions ADH, ALH, FEA•Symptomatic cyst•Fibroadenoma•Recurrent abscessEndocrine•Thyroid cancerGallbladder and Bile Duct•Any mass•Gallbladder and biliary cancerGastrointestinal System – Lower•Colon cancer•Diverticulitis•Rectal cancerGastrointestinal System – Upper•Gastric cancer•Gastric lesions•Small bowel cancer•Small bowel lesionsLiver•Any mass•Any cyst•Any lesion•MetastasisPancreas•Any mass•Any cyst•Any lesionSkin•Melanoma•Basal cell carcinoma•Squamous cell carcinoma•Merkel cell carcinomaIf you would like to learn more about oncoplastic breast surgery, or any surgical oncology procedures oered at Community Hospital, please reach out to our Market Development Representative TJ Jones for a peer-to-peer introduction at - or via email at tj.jones@commonspirit.org.
Welcome New Physicians to the Community Hospital FamilyAnesthesiologyMohammed Alam, MDCritical Care MedicineElaine Cristan, MDRajanigandha Dhokarh, MDTimothy Fernstrom, DOBenjamin Illum, MDDaniel Lincoln, MDDat Nguyen, MDMatthew Schrader, DOAmanda Van Mecl, DOEugene Yeh, MDFamily Medicine/HospitalistBob Chiang, MDInternal Medicine/HospitalistSamit Bhakta, MDSabhyata Sharma, MDAnkit Takyar, MDOrthopaedic SurgeryVikram Parmar, MDPsychiatryJagannath Nayak, MDAmina Sutherland-Stolting, MDOsmond Waheed, DOPulmonary DiseaseHesham Hassaballa, MDSurgery Scheduler LuncheonCommunity Hospital’s surgical services and sales teams were pleased to host our biannual scheduler luncheon to focus on scheduling eciencies. The luncheon welcomed schedulers from surgeons’ oces throughout the Inland Empire, with the promise of easy scheduling in iqueue and improving block utilization. “Community Hospital is thankful to all of the schedulers who collaborate with the periop team,” said Angela Theroith-Fraser, Director of Nursing, Perioperative Services. “We’re pleased to make scheduling easy for the surgeons and their patients.” Community Hospital of San Bernardino Medical Dialogue 3New TIF Procedure at Community HospitalWe’re proud to share that John R. Evans, MD, Gastroenterology, performed the rst-ever Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication TIF procedure at Community Hospital in September. TIF is a minimally-invasive procedure that is designed to reposition and reconstruct a durable anti-reux valve while also tightening the lower esophageal sphincter to restore the body’s natural protection against reux. Dr. Evans was supported by Gonzalo Cazas, MD, Anesthesiology, and Patrick McCarty, MD, Proctor, from St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Ventura County.We’re pleased to oer the TIF procedure to benet patients who suer from reux.Dr. Patrick McCarty (far left) served as a proctor for CHSB’s first TIF procedure, performed by Dr. John Evans (2nd from left) and supported by Dr. Gonzalo Cazas (2nd from right).
CHSB’s 100th Robotic Surgery!We’re excited to announce that Ifeanyi Ugochuku, MD, has completed the Community Hospital’s th robotics case using da Vinci Xi® Robotic Surgery. This minimally-invasive technology is used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions across a multitude of surgical specialties, including general surgery, colorectal, gynecology, and urology. Congratulations to all of our robotic surgeons on achieving this milestone. We’d also like to welcome Kaylene Carr, MD, Community Hospital’s new Medical Director of Robotic Surgery and Chair of the Robotic Steering Committee.Robotic SurgeonsThank you to all of our physicians who helped us reach our milestone of robotic surgeries.General SurgeryAmir Azar,MDBharti Jain, MDIfeanyi Ugochuku, MDGynecologyJoe Mawad, MDPhilis Nelson, MDSrinath Senguttuvan, MDUrology Avinash Chenam, MDIf you are interested in registering for robotic surgery training, please contact our Intuitive Representative, Kelsey Covington at kelsey.covington@intusurg.com or -..4 Community Hospital of San Bernardino Medical DialogueCommunity Hospital Receives U.S. News & World Report AwardsThanks in large part to our physicians’ dedication to excellence, U.S. News & World Report has named Dignity Health – Community Hospital of San Bernardino as a High Performing Hospital for COPD in its - Best Hospitals list. This is the highest distinction a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings.Earlier this year, Community Hospital was also recognized as a Healthgrades® Five-Star Recipient for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hip fracture, and sepsis. These quality honors by U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades® places Community Hospital among the best hospitals in our nation.“This is a great recognition and demonstrates the clinical excellence and quality patient care provided by our physicians and clinical sta,” shares June Collison, CHSB Hospital President. “We are honored to be recognized as a hospital that is high-performing in the COPD specialty, which amplies the expertise, dedication, and commitment of our Community Hospital team.”For its ranking, U.S. News evaluated more than hospitals across specialties and procedures and conditions. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.CALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Community Hospital of San Bernardino Medical Sta to submit information or articles for publication in the Medical Dialogue. Please contact Tracie Gipson, Editor, at 818.522.4574 or Tracie.CheesmanGipson@commonspirit.org. EDITORIAL TEAMRuby Skinner, MDChief Medical OcerNichelle RossDirector, Medical Sta AdministrationChristina ZicklinEditorial DirectorTracie GipsonEditor1805 Medical Center Dr. • San Bernardino, CA 92411 | 1.909.887.6333 | dignityhealth.org/san-bernardinoOur values are the core principles that enable us to deliver humankindness.CommonSpirit Values: Compassion | Inclusion | Integrity | Excellence | CollaborationIfeanyi Ugochuku, MD