The physician group, which includes over 300 specialty physicians and 93 orthopedic surgeons, said Robert Gorab and James Caillouette will move to board positions after more than 10 years of service.
Steven Barnett, a founding member of HOI, replaces Gorab as chief medical officer. Caillouette was succeeded by Chief Strategy Officer Jay Patel, who oversees planning for the continued expansion of HOI.
In 10 years, HOI has expanded from a specialty hospital in Irvine—located in the same campus as Hoag Hospital Irvine—to four ambulatory surgery centers and two clinics. In February, HOI expanded to Los Angeles in partnership with Diagnostic and Interventional Surgery Center in Marina del Rey.
In addition, HOI said in January it named David Gazzaniga its first division chief of sports medicine. Gazzaniga is the head team physician for the Los Angeles Chargers, and will lead programs dedicated to athletic training and injury prevention within HOI.
Outpatient Leader
HOI is resuming more normal operations after a year of delayed elective procedures due to patient hesitancy, as well as state orders aimed at freeing up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, according to Barnett.
It continues to prioritize outpatient procedures, which allow patients to leave the hospital the same day of surgery and recover in the comfort of their home.
HOI plans to expand its enhanced recovery program for hip and knee patients to spinal patients in the near future. It also wants to partner with outpatient physical therapists, Barnett said.
A migration to outpatient surgery settings was accelerated by the pandemic.
“The pandemic gave a gentle push to patients who were apprehensive to do an outpatient procedure prior,” Barnett said. “Outpatient procedures skyrocketed.”
In 2020, HOI reported a 121% increase in outpatient visits to 2,230. Meanwhile, the 24 largest hospitals in OC combined saw a 5.3% decrease in outpatient visits, according to Business Journal research.
Opioid Prevention
Another major priority for HOI in 2021 is the development of an opioid stewardship program.
“We want to really push this message in the community to minimize opioid use, and get patients off opiates as soon as possible after elective surgery,” Barnett said.
He noted literature shows patients that get off opiates experience a faster, smoother recovery process.
Barnett said a virtual reality program will coincide with opioid stewardship and help patients recover with applications for pain recovery, gait training, and rebuilding strength.
