A Pap test, or Pap smear, screens for cervical cancer and is recommended for women between 21 and 65. If your results are normal, you may not need to get screened again for another three to five years, depending on your age and the test you receive. But what happens when your results come back positive, abnormal, or unclear? Read on to learn more about the goal of cervical cancer screening, understand what HPV and Pap tests are, and what your results could mean.

Dignity Health Medical Foundation (DHMF) is pleased to announce Anthony Quan as vice president of operations for southern California. 

In this role, Anthony will partner with physician and clinic teams to develop and execute operational strategies that prioritize cost-effective, high-quality health care services to meet the current and future needs of the communities we serve.

The holidays are here, and to celebrate, many will be visiting homes of loved ones. Parents and guardians often have a list of questions they ask before their children visit other homes, whether about pets in the house, allergies, or internet supervision. Swapna Kudtarkar, MD, a pediatrician with Dignity Health Medical Group — Inland Empire, asks parents to add another question to their safety checklist: “Is there an unlocked gun in your home?”

Dignity Health Medical Network — Santa Cruz and Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group are recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Healthcare Award from the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) for top performance on clinical quality, patient experience and cost measures. Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group also scored in the top 10% in clinical quality for their commercial HMO populations.

Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group and Dignity Health Woodland Clinic have been awarded Elite Status from America's Physician Groups (APG), the nation's leading professional association for accountable physician groups. The medical groups are two of just 72 organizations nationally to achieve Elite Status (the highest recognition) in 2022.

Elite Status is earned through participation in APG's Standards of Excellence Survey, which evaluates the coordinated care infrastructure and value-based care performance of the organization’s physician group members.