Health: Best Hospital

JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley was voted the best hospital in Best of Orange County.

1. MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center

18111 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley; 714-378-7000; memorialcare.org

MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center is no stranger to the Best of Orange County, holding on to its top ranking for another year. This relatively new hospital has been around for 36 years, joining the MemorialCare family 26 years ago. It’s the only nonprofit hospital in Fountain Valley, meeting the health care needs of about 120,000 patients a year through emergency department, surgeries, baby deliveries, inpatient visits and more.

The full-service hospital offers high-level specialized advanced care, something that’s not common at a community hospital, said CEO Marcia Manker. She also said Orange Coast is the only hospital in Orange County to have an essential tremor program that helps restore patients’ (including those with Parkinson’s disease) functionality with a very non-invasive ultrasound approach.

Manker said the staff and employees “create the magic for patients” through technology and innovative programs. Plus, she says “everyone puts the needs of a patient first and foremost.”

Aside from being recognized as a top hospital for patients, MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center has also earned recognition as one of the top places to work, and it has a relatively low employee turnover.

“We have a very highly engaged workforce, and we’ve worked very hard over all these decades to maintain that relationship with our community, with our employees and with our physicians,” Manker said.

2. Hoag Hospital

Newport Beach, Irvine; hoag.org

Readers continue to choose Hoag Hospital as one of the best in OC. Doctors and staff at the nonprofit regional health care delivery network treat more than 30,000 inpatients and 460,000 outpatients each year. The Newport Beach location is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The network expanded in 2010 with the opening of Hoag Hospital Irvine. It also has 10 health centers and 14 urgent care centers.

The extensive range of health services includes six institutes specializing in cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular, neuroscience, women’s health and orthopedics through Hoag Orthopedic Institute.

“At Hoag, everything we do is guided by what our community needs,” said Hoag President and CEO Robert Braithwaite. “For 70 years, Hoag has been committed to providing innovative medical and surgical advancements and investing in highly-skilled clinical teams and facilities to expand the comprehensive services we offer.

Hoag has also been recognized as a top hospital by U.S. News & World Report.

MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center is also no stranger to the Best of Orange County ranking, keeping its position in the top three for at least another year. The community hospital came about almost 50 years ago thanks to South County residents who wanted medical services available to them nearby. These days, the full-service facility is also known for extensive health care for women.

CEO Marcia Manker said it was the first women’s hospital in Orange County to have labor, delivery and postpartum all in one suite, something other hospitals have since adopted. Manker said Saddleback is about to get a new pavilion focused entirely on women’s needs.

“It will serve the needs of the women in the community from your adolescence all the way to your golden years,” she said.

Meanwhile, Saddleback’s centers of excellence have been recognized for addressing a number of medical conditions, including heart disease, cancer, pulmonary disease, stroke and orthopedics.

3. MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center

24251 Health Center Drive, Laguna Hills; 949-837-4500; memorialcare.org