Gastrointestinal centers, California (San Diego, San Francisco, Irvine: renting, crime rates, student loans)

[steiconi]

I'm looking at Gastrointestinal surgery in my future, and am looking for a great team of doctors. I'd like to find a center, like at a university, where they're doing research and cutting edge stuff.

I've heard there are good ones at UC Davis, UCSF, and Stanford, does anyone know of others?

We plan to move to CA this year, and will be renting around for a while, so I can literally move to the center's neighborhood.

Any area of California is fine, it's high-quality medical care that I'm seeking.

no need to point out that it's cheaper to live in Davis than San Francisco, or worry about crime rates or anything else, just the medical care.
thanks!

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by steiconi

I'm looking at Gastrointestinal surgery in my future, and am looking for a great team of doctors. I'd like to find a center, like at a university, where they're doing research and cutting edge stuff.

I've heard there are good ones at UC Davis, UCSF, and Stanford, does anyone know of others?

We plan to move to CA this year, and will be renting around for a while, so I can literally move to the center's neighborhood.

Any area of California is fine, it's high-quality medical care that I'm seeking.

I don't have anything against UCDavis or UCSF. But Stanford would be my first -- and frankly, only -- choice if I had to have it done in Northern California.

In Southern California, UCLA.

[RosieSD]

UCLA https://www.uclahealth.org/gastro/

UC San Diego. https://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/som/...s/default.aspx

UC Irvine H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center | UC Irvine Health | Orange County, CA

Loma Linda https://medical-center.lomalindaheal...and-hepatology

Cedars Sinai https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patient...tive-Diseases/

Depending on the specific surgery you need, there are others as well. But, I also wouldn't limit myself to California if I needed serious treatment.

[steiconi]

Thanks, Rosie and Fluffy, that gives me a good list to start researching.

If anybody has a fabulous center outside of California, please speak up! I've had too much luck with google searches, winding up with thousands of individual GI doctors.

My primary care doctor really only knows about the one and only GI in Hawaii that doesn't work for Kaiser; there are no GI centers here.

[CCbaxter]

Check out John Clarke at Stanford.

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by steiconi

Thanks, Rosie and Fluffy, that gives me a good list to start researching.

If anybody has a fabulous center outside of California, please speak up! I've had too much luck with google searches, winding up with thousands of individual GI doctors.

My primary care doctor really only knows about the one and only GI in Hawaii that doesn't work for Kaiser; there are no GI centers here.

if you are under Kaiser, ask what hospital is their GI center

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

if you are under Kaiser, ask what hospital is their GI center

Yes, excellent advice.

For what it's worth, here's Kaiser's listing for gastroentologists in San Francisco. Click on the Clinicians list to see the doctors, and their specialities.

https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/...troenterology/

Of course, that's assuming you'll be bringing your Kaiser coverage with you to California.

This might also be helpful, although I suspect you've probably already come across it in your research:

https://health.usnews.com/best-hospi...and-gi-surgery

My mother received very good care (not gastroenterology related though) from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for a very rare cancer disorder that multiple specialists both here and in NY were unable to diagnose properly. I believe Mayo now has a facility near Phoenix as well.

Edit: Link for the Mayo hospital in Phoenix: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-v...linic-hospital

[steiconi]

I used to have Kaiser, don't any more. Will never go back to Kaiser (and I checked their rankings; none made it to the top 50, and the one where I've gotten all my previous GI surgery has a score of 45.9/100 for GI--not even in the top 800. I want GOOD care!)

Oooh, Phoenix. That's on our shortlist of places to live, and I have a brother there with a guesthouse... Thanks!

And thank you, Rosie, for the "Best Hospitals" list. That's what I've been looking for and had no luck!

[janellen]

I've had two such surgeries, one was a colostomy to correct a perforated colon due to diverticulitis, and a second one to do a resection and put my plumbing back together. I had a fantastic surgeon here in podunk Porterville. Everything works better than ever. My surgeon came here from UCLA...why I don't know. I think he's one of those young doctors who is paying off student loans by serving in an "underserved" area.

Anyway, from what I've heard from other folks on the Inspire forum, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio is the place to go if you have to have a really tricky surgery. Two others are Cedars Sinai and UCLA.

You might want to go to this website where you can get oodles of gastro info.

INSPIRE -
[SIZE=5]Ostomy[/SIZE]

[CCbaxter]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Yes, excellent advice.

For what it's worth, here's Kaiser's listing for gastroentologists in San Francisco. Click on the Clinicians list to see the doctors, and their specialities.

https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/...troenterology/

Of course, that's assuming you'll be bringing your Kaiser coverage with you to California.

This might also be helpful, although I suspect you've probably already come across it in your research:

https://health.usnews.com/best-hospi...and-gi-surgery

My mother received very good care (not gastroenterology related though) from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for a very rare cancer disorder that multiple specialists both here and in NY were unable to diagnose properly. I believe Mayo now has a facility near Phoenix as well.

Edit: Link for the Mayo hospital in Phoenix: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-v...linic-hospital

Being from MN I can second Mayo as the best. Going to the Mayo clinic, in Rochester anyway, is a unique experience in health care.