Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs: The Doctor is Out -- to Serve You!

Most professionals have worked inside a box for so long. By that, we mean it has taken so long for people to take the ways of the innovative world to benefit majority of people, especially in the medical profession. But doctors have learned to come out of their traditional comfort-zones in order to expand their horizon and serve more people in a more dynamic and effective way. Meet one of those physicians who is out there to serve your needs: Dr. Richard Isaacs.

Dr. Isaacs’ qualifications, as posted in his web homepage, were not meant to impress but to inform and convince people of what he is capable of providing. Rich is not only a specialist in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery but is also an experienced physician who has dealt with various cancer cases (facial skin cancer, jaw tumor. laryngeal cancer, paranasal sinus cancer and thyroid cancer and others). He has also worked in developing innovative medical procedures using robotics and computer-aided medical systems.

With his extensive experience and expertise, it is not surprising that Rich, who attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as an undergraduate, excelled in academics and garnered honors a graduate. He was born and raised in Detroit and finished his medical degree at the Wayne State University School of Medicine there, also finishing with honors.

Dr. Isaacs joined Kaiser Permanente in 1995 and he holds Advanced Certification in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. His specializes in such cases as orbital, nasal, and maxillofacial surgery, as well as thyroid and parathyroid surgical procedures. Moreover, Rich has undergone training in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery and is likewise an expert in post-tumor facial reanimation and facial reconstruction surgery. Rich is a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery as well as of the American College of Surgeons. He has written several articles in different medical and other related publications.

In his heart, Rich is a natural teacher and is engaged in training medical students, residents and fellows from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia), and Northstate University School of Medicine (Elk Grove) where he serves as a Professor of Otolaryngology. With his passion for teaching, Rich obviously finds personal satisfaction in achieving one of the noblest occupations any person can have in life. Expertise and knowhow thrive through continuing study and research, as well as through bequeathing them on to others who will likewise apply and pass them on through their own practice.

Being a Physician-In-Chief, Rich has shown good leadership abilities as well as proven his integrity as a trustworthy professional. In April of 2005, he was appointed to the Physician-In-Chief position for the South Sacramento and Elk Grove Medical Facilities. He heads 450 physicians and over 3,000 nurses and staff who serve 210,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the South Sacramento and Elk Grove locality. Rich also works as the Medical Director of operations, as well as all inpatient and outpatient sections. He likewise holds the position of Chief Medical Officer for the 290-bed Acute Care Hospital and ACS Level II Trauma Center.

Physicians are some of the most workaholic workers we know; however, they strive to spend meaningful time in other endeavors, such as in sports. And for a doctor with his credentials, Rich chose to become a skier and an Alpine Member at the National Ski Patrol, providing complete care to injured skiers at the Tahoe Donner Ski Resort. Not only is that inspiring; it is quite commendable – spending time out of the clinic and in the great outdoors while seeing to the medical needs of other sports-enthusiasts.

Here then is a physician you would want and who is totally prepared to meet your needs: Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs – now out there to catch you when you fall and falter.



Tuesday, November 17, 2015

A Man with a Lifetime Medical Mission: Dr. Richard Isaacs, MD

In general, medicine is recognized as a very broad area of study and involves so many various fields of health-care as well as different approaches and applications, whether we are talking of traditional, alternative and even emotional-healing practices. Most people, however, rely on the general field of medical practice accepted by countries and societies as the scientific and professional field of health-care practiced by graduates of Schools of Medicine and are referred to as Doctors of Medicine (MD’s).

Today, the willingness or passion to provide people with physical healing is not fully applied or recognized without leaving the comfort of one’s world and into the greater arena of the vast majority of people who need healing and proper medical care. The worldwide web has significantly eased the problem of how to make health care readily accessible to others. And, obviously in medicine or the medical profession, as it is often referred to by those tasked with providing health care to the ailing patient, the patient must not only seek the doctor; the doctor must also make himself or herself available and accessible as much as possible.

The physician or MD, in general, needs to be fully equipped and qualified to offer basic health care using methods accepted by most public health-providers in accordance with modern professional health-care methods. However, we all know that even old traditional healing approaches, which have been proven by modern research to be effective and are administered by more and more doctors along with modern medical practices, for instance, acupuncture, chelation and others. Which means that we have advanced in such a way that we have greatly enhanced the human power to serve the health needs of many people who require effective medical attention. Likewise, those who are given the function of administering such highly-specialized expertise must have a source of surplus amounts of diligence, persistence and altruism not easily available to majority of people.

A primary model of this innovative professional medical practitioner is Dr. Richard Isaacs, MD, who has availed of the Internet to widely post his qualifications and his specialization to more people needing his particular field of practice. This direct way of promoting one’s profession to the greater community online may seem a bit unusual and even suspicious to many. Yes, it may even seem to demean the respected position the medical doctor whom many view as being more altruistic or unselfish than other professions.

However, that may have been true in former times when doctors plied their trade as mainly unrecognized or unappreciated employees of medical institutions or small-time family doctors running day clinics in distant towns. At present, however, doctors organize and put up poly-clinics offering alternatives to hospitals as diagnostic and medical-consultancy centers in many urban areas. Yes, gone are the days when doctors hang up front-door signs and worked as free-lance-private doctors for a small regular clientele within a neighborhood or a residential subdivision.

The increase in the number of doctors and medical-health practitioners has also altered the way medical services are administered or practiced, especially with the advent of increased medical specialization and use of advanced medical technology. Hence, a physician in some cases is not required to physically visit a patient in order to serve his or her needs which may not include surgery or delicate attention by a physician and which a nurse or a training physician can readily handle. And even in more serious cases where the physician is not available as long as there are other skilled health-givers who can take the place of the doctor without endangering the patient unduly. It is, in fact, not uncommon now for a patient to be in a hospital for a day or two without having seen a specialist, who may be unavailable, while providing the needed proper medical attention through other available doctors. The way medicine is practiced nowadays has evolved with the times and the demands of modern world, whether we understand it or not.

As such, having a doctor such as Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs post his qualifications and experiences online provides a refreshing view of the medical profession not only in its application but likewise in its accessibility to people who require it. Thanks to people such as Dr. Isaacs for opening an innovative alternative to looking for medical help minus the trouble of walking or asking around for the proper medical attention needed so direly. And often, in matters of life and death, time is of the essence.

Rich is trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery and has wide experience in post-tumor facial reconstruction and facial reanimation surgery and has an Advanced Certification in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, specializing in orbital, nasal, and maxillofacial surgery, as well as thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

To get an appointment with Rich Isaacs, get his contact info on this website and dial away. Didn’t we say he is available and accessible? Yes, he is within reach to anyone needing his specialization in Sacramento, California where he resides and works.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Dr. Richard Isaacs, MD: The Willingness to Serve

In the modern world, the desire or the willingness to help others solve their problems is not complete without coming out of the confines of one’s comfortable world into the broader community of people struggling through life, in need or in pain.The Internet has helped to bring this eagerness to reach out to others to its fulfillment -- especially in the field of medicine or medical practice, as it should be more properly called by those who are charged with administering health care to the ailing patient.

Medical practice is obviously a wide subject and incorporates so many different aspects of health-care and variations of methods or approaches, from traditional, alternative and even emotional in nature. The majority of people, however, depend on the general field of medical practice recognized by most societies and governments as the scientific and professional field of health-care provided by products of Schools of Medicine and are referred to as Doctors of Medicine (MD’s).

The more common term “physician” has also become synonymous with MD. To be a physician, in general, is to be qualified to provide essential health care using methods recognized by most public institutions as in keeping with accepted modern medical practices. This does not mean, of course, that ancient practices which have proven to be effective are without value in the modern medical profession. It only means that we have progressed to the level of fine-tuning the human capability to provide health care and to alleviate the sufferings of millions of sick people. And the people tasked with providing such highly-specialized skills also possess higher amounts of persistence, diligence and self-sacrifice than most people.

Dr. Richard Isaacs, MD, is a prime example of the qualified modern physician who has made good use of the worldwide web to present his credentials and his services to those who require medical care or assistance. A lot of people might either be surprised or turned off by such a direct approach to promoting one’s profession to the greater virtual community out there. That is because it might come out as somewhat demeaning to the noble profession of the physician which many consider to be more altruistic or service-oriented than most other vocations.

But that was common in the older times when medical practitioners worked silently in the bigger institutions, hospitals or hole-in-the-wall clinics they worked in. Today, doctors form so-called poly-clinics to provide a para-hospital alternative facilities for providing diagnostic and consultancy services. Most doctors, in the past, made do with putting up a sign on their home front-door as simple private general practitioners with a handful of devoted patients in their immediate neighborhood or locality.

However, today, the number of physicians and medical-help providers has multiplied and the means of providing such services have become more dynamic and diverse with the aid of technology. A doctor does not need to be with the patient to provide care, especially with common ailments. Or even in more serious cases where the doctor cannot be present and as long as there are other qualified professionals who can administer the prescription in an acceptable manner. Hence, it is not uncommon for a patient to be in a hospital for a couple of days, for instance, without having been visited by a medical specialist who may be preoccupied somewhere else although she does gets proper medical care under resident doctors. Times change and the way doctors apply their skills has also evolved with the times and the needs of the growing population.

And so, seeing a doctor such as Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs open up his resume on a website not only changes the field of medicine in its application but also in its accessibility to those who need its benefits. For this, we have to thank the likes of him for providing a convenient way of seeking medical help without the hassle of directly interviewing or hunting for qualified medical practitioners wherever they may be found.

Just a call away, Rich Isaacs, who holds an Advanced Certification in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, specializes in orbital, nasal, and maxillofacial surgery, as well as thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Moreover, he is trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery and has an interest in post-tumor facial reconstruction and facial reanimation surgery. Rich is within reach to anyone needing his field of specialization in Sacramento, California where he holds his clinic.




Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs: At your service!

Dr. Isaacs’ credentials, as seen in his web homepage, are not just impressive but awesome in many respects. For one, he not only has a specialization in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery but also has wide grasp and experience in other medical fields, such as cancer (facial skin cancer, jaw tumor, laryngeal cancer, paranasal sinus cancer and thyroid cancer, to name a few) and has been involved in innovative medical care utilizing robotics and computer technology.

Such vast experience and expertise possessed by one physician should not come as a surprise from one who attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as an undergraduate and finished with honors. Rich, for short, was born and raised in Detroit and took up his medical studies at Wayne State University School of Medicine in that city, graduating, as we would have expected, with honors. 

Rich joined Kaiser Permanente in 1995 and he has Advanced Certification in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. His specialties include orbital, nasal, and maxillofacial surgery, as well as thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Additionally, Rich is trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery and is also highly involved in post-tumor facial reanimation and facial reconstruction surgery. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery as well as of the American College of Surgeons. Rich has also published many articles in various publications.

Rich has a passion for teaching and has trained medical students, residents and fellows from the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia), and Northstate University School of Medicine (Elk Grove) where he teaches as a Professor of Otolaryngology. Serving as a teacher-doctor could be considered one of the highest accomplishments any professional or any person can have, for that matter. Skills and knowledge can grow not just through study and research but through passing them on to more people who can practice them as well as improve them for more people to benefit from.

As a Physician-In-Chief, Rich has proven his himself to be a good leader as well as a trusted practitioner. In April of 2005, He was appointed to the Physician-In-Chief position for the South Sacramento and Elk Grove Medical Facilities. He supervises 450 physicians and more than 3,000 nurses and staff who care for the 210,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the South Sacramento and Elk Grove areas. Rich also serves as the Medical Director of operations, including all inpatient and outpatient departments. He also works as the Chief Medical Officer for the 290 bed Acute Care Hospital and ACS Level II Trauma Center.

Does Rich still have time to do something else? 

We all know doctors are quite busy people but they do find time to enjoy life. Hence, as impressive as Rich’s credentials may appear, he does find time to be an active sportsman, being an Alpine Member at the National Ski Patrol. And while he is at that, he likewise provides comprehensive care to injured skiers at the Tahoe Donner Ski Resort. Now, that is impressive as well as admirable – having a great, exhilarating time and serving fellow sports-enthusiasts when they need medical care.


What can we say but present to you Dr. Richard “Rich” Isaacs – at your service! He must enjoy what he is doing.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Kaiser promotes healthy babies with Dr. Richard Isaacs

Kaiser pushes for greater breast-feeding success among moms

The healthiest thing any child will ever consume is his or her mother’s breast milk. Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento wants to make certain new mothers learn how to breastfeed their babies before they leave the hospital to increase the future good health for babies.

Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento was recently designated a “Baby Friendly” hospital in accordance with the World Health Organization’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

The staff had a small celebration on Aug. 14.

Max Villalobos, senior vice president for Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento said, “This is an international recognition.”

He said a special thanks to Barb Hansen, assistant manager of health education, and Cheryl Cox, manager of the perinatal services unit.

“Sometimes we overuse words, but this is prestigious,” he said.

Currently, Kaiser South Sacramento is one of 83 hospitals nationwide to fulfill the program’s 10-step process to become baby friendly.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative was launched in 1991 with help from UNICEF. Kaiser staff received a certificate of intent to work towards being admitted to the Baby Friendly program in 1993.

Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Richard S. Isaacs thanked the staff for their commitment. Isaacs, an ear, nose and throat doctor, said he learned that breast-feeding a baby causes fewer ear infections as they grow.

“It gives the child the best start,” he said. “It gives them natural immunity, it helps prevent infection, and it gives them tremendous nutrition. But more importantly it’s an emotional bond between the mother and the child.”

Debra Payne, program planner for First 5 Sacramento was at the Aug. 14 ceremony to congratulate the staff. First 5 Sacramento was involved with this program at Kaiser too.

Joni Wuthrich, director of prenatal services, said the staff have undergone training courses, learning the importance of encouraging breast-feeding over formula and allowing new mothers to “room in,” or stay with their baby the entire hour after delivery to breastfeed.

“I’ve been a nurse for 34 years and every single year more research comes out about how good breast-feeding is for babies,” she said.

Dessiree Whitehurst gave birth to her first child, a girl, on Aug. 13 at Kaiser in South Sacramento. The fact that Kaiser South Sacramento is in the Baby Friendly program and promotes breast-feeding amongst new mothers was reassuring to her as a new mom, she said.

“I’ve heard so many things like ‘It’s hard to breastfeed,’” she said. “Knowing that there is so much help- it’s really good for me.”

Whitehurst had already started breast-feeding her baby by the next day.

As part of the Baby Friendly Initiative, Kaiser will not accept free formula from vendors.

“We separated our relationship with formula vendors and that is a part of baby friendly too,” Wuthrich said.

Formula is prescribed when it is medically recommended for babies, rather than being a substitute for milk.

Wuthrich said baby formula is healthy, but human milk is better.

Not all women have to breast-feed, they support family choice too, she added.

Monday, November 9, 2015

CAPMG Steering Committee - Dr. Richard Isaacs, MD


As California Permanente physicians, we have a lot to be proud of.

Our physician-led mode of practice. Our partnership with patients. Our proven clinical excellence and nationally recognized quality leadership.

When health care legislation is debated, we want the best chance of a good outcome.

That is why The Permanente Medical Group and the Southern California Permanente Medical Group created California Permanente Medical Groups (CAPMG) political action committee.

CAPMG is our political arm. Our job is to help elect lawmakers who understand and share our values.

On behalf of CAPMG Steering Committee — This is our pledge.

• No one will work harder than we will.

• Our priority will always be the Permanente Medical Group model.

• We will devote our full energy to electing officials who will work with us on enacting the best possible health care legislation.

Like you, we are passionate about our goals and optimistic about our success.

STEERING COMMITTEE:

Members

• Sharon Levine, MD, Chair, Pediatrics, TPMG

• Michelle Caughey, MD, Internal Medicine, TPMG

• Ken Grullon, MD, Gynecology, TPMG

• Vito Imbasciani, MD, Urology, SCPMG

• David Lerman, MD, JD. Family Medicine, SCPMG

• Michael Neri, Jr. MD, Family Medicine, SCPMG

Richard Isaacs, MD, Head and Neck Oncology, TPMG
For more info about Dr. Richard Isaacs, you could visit this page or like us on facebook for more update.

Staff

• Traci Perry, Executive Director

• Liz Rothberg-Smith, CAPMG Staff


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Business Journal names "Healthiest Employers" winners



Attendees at the Healthiest Employers 2011 awards luncheon walk around the exhibitors area before the awards.

Five Sacramento-area companies won top honors at a luncheon Friday for theie employee health and wellness efforts. Rood & Dax Advanced Insurance Services Inc. of Sacramento won in the micro category (10 – 50 employees).

Dr. Richards Isaacs accepts a Healtiest Employers award on behalf of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Kaiser won in the mega category (10, 000-plus employees). The health care nonprofit, which has made healthy living a central message in its advertising years, has had a wellness program since 2002.

Richard Isaacs MD: Kaiser South gets Level II trauma certification

Kaiser Permanente’s South Sacramento Medical Center has been verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level II trauma center.

The center got provisional verification by the group last year so it could begin operations, but the process requires reviewers to evaluate the program after it is up and running.

Reviewers conducted another on-site review in March to evaluate trauma center staff, equipment and other resources to make sure they meet national standards. Full verification will be in effect until 2013.

Since opening Aug. 1, the new South Sacramento trauma center has treated an average of 150 patients per month.

“We are extremely proud that the American College of Surgeons has verified that our program meets their stringent standards,” Dr. Richard Isaacs, physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente South

Sacramento, said in a press release. “We have an excellent staff here and we are committed to caring for some of the area’s most critically injured patients.”

The South Sacramento hospital serves an area from Interstate 5 east to Rancho Cordova, and from Florin Road south to the San Joaquin County line.


The trauma center is a first for Kaiser Permanente nationwide.