Top doctor: Adventist Health’s Dr. Ronald L. Reynoso Hernandez carries on the family tradition

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, a young boy watched his physician father selflessly provide medical care to family, friends and his community. It didn’t matter the hour, the day or the place – when someone needed help, the doctor was there to give it.

Decades later, that boy is now a man, carrying on the family “Dr.” tradition – in fact, Ronald L. Reynoso Hernandez, MD, leads an entire team of physicians as the market medical officer for Adventist Health services in Bakersfield and Tehachapi. As a doctor for 18 years (12 as an internist), Reynoso is dual board-certified in internal medicine and clinical informatics with a master’s degree in medical management and certification as a physician executive. He’s also added a few “letters” beyond his MD, including: CI, MMM, CEP, FACP, SFHM, which reflect advanced certifications in specialty areas.

In all those years witnessing his father’s career in medicine, then all those years earning his own higher-level credentials, Dr. Reynoso never imagined that he, along with healthcare providers worldwide, would be carrying out his calling during a global pandemic. Yet he is honored to do so.

“Leading through this pandemic has been rewarding and challenging as we have had to navigate through a lot of uncertainty and uncharted territory,” says Dr. Reynoso, 43. “We all have been asked to do more and give more, but our medical staff has risen to this challenge.”

Another testament to the front lines at Adventist Health Bakersfield came in December: The hospital just received its seventh A from The Leapfrog Group, the only facility in Kern County to earn the safety rating seven consecutive times!

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit healthcare ratings organization, assigns safety letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harm to patients in their care.

With COVID-19, the spotlight on safety and quality at medical centers has never shined brighter.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice a year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

During this COVID-19 emergency response, Dr. Reynoso also serves as the medical officer on the hospital’s Incident Command Center team for Adventist Health’s hospitals in Bakersfield and Tehachapi. The groups meet daily to assess pandemic-related needs for patients and staff.

Patients’ needs can extend to conditions other than the COVID-19 virus – and that’s something that Dr. Reynoso and his fellow physicians have emphasized throughout this pandemic.

“People should not delay or procrastinate their care as those conditions can become more difficult to treat or control – delaying your care can place your life at risk,” he said. “We can take care of you in a safe environment during this pandemic.”

Looking ahead, past the holiday surge of COVID-19 and into a time when vaccines can be widely distributed, Dr. Reynoso is both optimistic and thankful. He encourages everyone to wear masks, practice physical distancing and wash hands often.

“With God’s will, we will get through this,” he said. “And there are lessons: I have learned to be humble as we don’t have all the answers, to be patient as there are many things outside our control and to listen because excellent ideas can come from where you least expect. I’ve also learned that change is now a constant thing and that true teamwork pays off.”

So says the dedicated, second-generation doctor – now selflessly providing medical care to everyone who needs it … no matter the day, the time or the place.