Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health

This is a review of Dr. Wilfredo Hernandez. I was diagnosed with multiple (very large) fibroids, which caused months of bleeding and severe anemia (causing the need for a blood transfusion).
Dr. Hernandez confirmed what I suspected, a hysterectomy would be required. The decision was a simple one, I have grown children and my Husband has had a vasectomy so future pregnancies were not a concern.
My first impression (to my surprise) of Dr. Hernandez is how genuine and caring he is. He takes the time to answer your questions and is very informative. He has over 40 years experience and it shows!
Dr. Hernandez performed my hysterectomy (my uterus was the size of a 5 month pregnancy), left my ovaries and during the procedure and discovered a cyst the size of a lemon on my left ovary! (hadn’t showed up on the ultrasound). He was very skillful at making the incision (bikini cut), through a previous scar from a tummy tuck I had over 9 years ago.
The surgery took place at St. Vincent Medical Center. In the area I waited pre-​surgery, Dr. Hernandez came to talk to me and very soothingly said he would see me in the operating room shortly. I felt then and it is confirmed now that I was in very capable and experienced hands.
Once in the operating room I was knocked out pretty quickly and I don’t remember coming out of surgery and into the recovery room. To be expected, once in my hospital room I had a miserable time getting my pain meds adjusted since my body just wouldn’t respond to the morphine drip I had. The staff at St. Vincent contacted Dr. Hernandez and he promptly ordered a change to my pain meds and I got immediate relief. By day 3 of my hospital stay the pain was completely manageable and I was up and walking around.
I am only 2 weeks post op and everyone is shocked at how well I am recovering. My activity level is light, general housework is fine and short distance walking (at a slower pace) and at least one nap during the day. Any questions I’ve had along the way I have felt very comfortable calling his office and am transferred directly to him or I get a call back right away. It feels so personable when he calls you by your first name.
I highly recommend Dr. Hernandez if you are seeking a caring, experienced Gynecologist/​Surgeon.

I recently visited here with my wife and this place is really nice inside. My wife likes her doctor and overall the staff were very polite. Parking is a bit of a pain with all the small spots.

I have decided to reallocate my review to the correct location. Thank you

This review is based on a mammorgram and ultrasound.
Pros:
The space is very nice and upscale, clean.
The people are nice.
There is free parking available. CAVEAT: if the parking lot is full, you will be directed to park across the street, where there is apparently a $ 5.00 flat fee. I can’t verify the fee, because I did not have to use that parking lot. The information is from the parking lot attendant at the Center for Women’s Health.
They send directions in an email to you so that you know how to find them. In case your GPS goes out with all of the tall buildings downtown.
Cons:
These are cons based on my experience today. I may have just gotten them on a bad day.
Excessive wait time. (I was there for 3 hours)
Poor communication
NO MAGAZINES. And no place to recharge my phone, which would not have been an issue if I had not been there for 3 hours.
The experience:
I had an appointment a week ago. I went in, filled out my questionnaire and was told 2 things:
Based on my answers, they would want to do an ultrasound, which they couldn’t do that day and they did not have my «film» from my last yearly exam at a different facility. So I had to be rescheduled. This was not happy making, but ok, fine, I understand. (Though I had 3 or 4 forms emailed to me and it seems that the questionnaire that led to the conclusion that I should have an ultrasound could have been emailed to me as well, but that isn’t what was least pleasant to me.)
I go and pick up my «films» (what do you call mammogram images?) from my previous facility and show up for my new appointment a week later. I check in. I wait about a half hour and they take me back. My mammogram is done and then.. . I’m told that the ultrasound technician called in sick and they’re waiting for the relief person to show up. Ok, I can handle that, things happen. There is a person ahead of me waiting for an ultrasound, so after some discussion, I gather that I may have an extra hour of hanging out waiting for my ultrasound. Cool. Like I said, things happen.
This is where I get unhappy. We’re told when the relief technician has arrived, but it takes about another half hour to 45 minutes for the person ahead of me to get in to the room. And she’s in there for a very, very long time. And I’m waiting and waiting and no one comes by to let me know what’s going on. I decide to go ask someone and cruise up to the front in my silly pink smock. I’m told it will be 5 to 10 minutes. Nope. about a half hour later the woman ahead of me gets out and then is called back in the room. (I don’t know what was going on with her, but it can’t have been good and I am wishing her all the best and hoping that things work out.) I finally get called in and am in and out in 15 minutes.
So here’s what I would have liked to have happen: I really wish someone would have checked in with us regularly since we had to wait so long. Also, they really, really need to get some magazines in there for the times that things like this happen: I had a choice of Arthritis Today, People en Espanol and Better Homes and Gardens which I had read the previous week. Seriously, get some of the $ 10/​year professional rate subscriptions and add some for men as well, since I saw quite a few of them there, waiting for girlfriends, wives, daughters, etc.
I don’t want to take away from the previous 5 star reviews who had very good experiences with the breast cancer specialist there, because I’m not reviewing for that, I’m reviewing for what was probably a bad day for them that I thought could have been handled a little better.
Lastly, i want to say — get your yearly exams, ladies. Whether it’s here or somewhere else, just do it. Don’t wait until you can see something for feel something wrong to go in. Just schedule it annually and go. Because at the end of the day, taking 3 hours out of my day to know that I am protecting my health is worth it.

See pic of my bill. I was told by an employee my mammogram was completely covered under Obamacare. Blue Shield actually did pay something. Going to take it up with Covered California now.

When I found a lump on my breast in April 2012 I knew I might be in big trouble but I’m a procrastinator. I had been negligent in getting mammograms and even when I had this lump checked into (mammogram/​ultrasound) I had to put off the biopsy because we had two trips scheduled. Even so, I knew I better be ready to hit the ground running when I returned from Kauai so I did all the research in July and August and put Dr. Dennis Holmes at the top of my list of surgeons I hoped I would never have to visit.
My biopsy brought with it the news no one ever wants to hear: it’s a tumor and it’s malignant. My general practitioner called that night and his first words were «you better be calling a surgeon tomorrow.» I had already talked to him about Dr. Holmes and I had read very favorable mentions about Dr. Holmes on
. The next morning I made the call and, fortunately, due to a cancellation, I was able to get an appointment the next day. For all the procrastination I had done, I did manage to get all the paperwork prior to going on vacation so, in a fit of nervousness, I filled out everything and drove to downtown to the Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health to deliver the forms. I just wanted to see the place and I wanted to feel like I was actually doing something, versus sitting at home freaking out about my world being turned upside down.
As I was sitting and waiting for the paperwork to be reviewed Dr. Holmes walked down the hallway and introduced himself. He was on his way to speak at a seminar but he took the time to say hello and that meant the world to me. I will never forget that day, his handshake, what I was wearing, what he was wearing. Strange, but everything stands still when you get bad news like that and all the details seem to go technicolor, at least for me.
The next day my husband and I spent two to three hours at the center, meeting with Dr. Holmes, meeting with the radiologist, discussing options, reconstruction, etc. Everyone, including Dr. Holmes, was so patient and kind. I never felt rushed and he took the time to answer every single one of my questions — sometimes twice, because I was so nervous/​scared that I might have missed an important detail, plus, I’m diagnosed as OCD so I tend to ask a LOT of questions.
Dr. Holmes is the only surgeon I’ve had throughout this ordeal who took the time to call me at home and ask how I was doing. When I woke up from surgery at about 9:00 p.m. who was there in the hospital room? The nurse, my husband. .. and Dr. Holmes — who had come in to check on me before leaving for the night. The next morning he was there again and although he was going out of town for a seminar he even took the time to call me once I got home to check on how I was recovering.
One of the other reviewers has covered Dr. Holmes’ credentials so I won’t go into all that. I did the research and I knew he was my go-​to guy. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to go to him. .. but since I did — I’m sure glad I was living in the Los Angeles area where his practice is located.
If you’ve been putting off a mammogram, go get it done. If you’re ever in a situation where you need surgery for breast cancer — go see Dr. Holmes.
This isn’t an easy review to write. .. restaurants and plant nurseries are much easier to write about but since I’ve relied on reviews throughout my breast cancer experience I feel it’s only right to pass it along to the next person who might need some insight on a very difficult situation.

I just went here for my yearly exam and had a wonderful experience. Everyone was very friendly and I was not kept waiting. It’s a beautiful facility and the entire thing was quick and painless. I even received a phone call from the doctor herself 2 days later to give me all my test results personally. They definitely go the extra mile here.

I recently went to the LA Center for Women’s Health not knowing what to expect. What I found was an airy, spa-​like atmosphere where women can receive whole health care, mammography, heart health and bone density screening, and genetic risk assessment. It would seem that the Center is an effort to draw from the new pool of urban professionals and downtown hipsters living in the area. I went because I’d met Dr. Holmes previously, had a specific problem that I knew he could treat and wanted to check it out.
Dr. Dennis Holmes is mostly known for his prior work at the USC Norris Cancer Center where he trained years ago under prominent breast surgeon and DCIS expert, Dr. Mel Silverstein. Dr. Holmes performed cutting edge research on IORT (Intra-​Operative Radiation Therapy) that allows women with early stage breast cancer to receive radiation as a one time event in the operating room following surgery rather than having to go to a radiation center every day for 4 – 5 weeks. He performs minimally invasive breast surgeries (for those who are eligible) with great cosmetic results along with this IORT option at California Hospital. This option isn’t available for everyone but great if you’re eligible.
He also heads up the LA Center for Women’s Health, an idea whose time has come: one-​stop health care shopping for the busy downtown woman who’d rather not spend hours of extra time driving to, and waiting for, appointments at doctor’s offices and hospitals all over LA.
The center accepts a wide range of insurance types including the new ACA plans. You should call first to confirm. Dr. Holmes has a very straightforward, highly personable, caring manner. He offers the expertise of an academic medical specialist in a private practice clinic. The staff actually seem happy to work there. Translation services are available. and they offer free parking just downstairs. This is great news for women who work downtown and anyone who wants personalized care in a serene setting.

This is an amazing facility. It’s a new, clean, state of the art facility that I recommend to all my friends. I work and live downtown. So it is conveniently located for me. However, it is worth the trip downtown for those who not already there. It’s always a pleasant experience at Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health. The staff is amazingly supportive, professional, and proactive when it comes to women’s health. The nurse practitioner Homer is my favorite. She is very friendly, compassionate, and nurturing. She makes even the most awkward of situations comfortable. It may sound silly but a visit with Homera is like a hug from your mom. She is amazingly comforting and brightens your day. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.