Physicians Focus on YOU at Henry Mayo – Dr. Lakhbinder Dhanda

Thank-you cards from patients over the last, 20 years decorate the waiting room of Lakhbinder Dhanda, M.D., as the founder of his independent practice at Valencia Internal Medical Group. Just as every card comes with a story, Dhanda works diligently to see people get better and function in society in a way that allows them to live their best life. “My motto is to get the patient home as soon as possible so they can be with their families and go back to what they were doing before,” he said.
For Dhanda, internal medicine is a lot like being a general contractor—figuring out what’s wrong and finding the right specialist for a solution. As an internist, he monitors chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, emphysema, and heart disease first with diagnosis and then treatment. Since 80 percent of his solo practice deals with the older geriatric age group, Dhanda works primarily with cases of congestive heart failure, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia.
The admitting hospital for these stroke, heart attack, and respiratory failure patients is Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, where Dhanda utilizes its resources for immediate care. In January 2016, he was elected as Chief of Staff for the hospital in an advisory role overseeing the medicine and surgery departments. He enjoys the administrative side of healthcare as a supervisor of 500 doctors, to develop his managing skills and encourage change by advances in technology.
With the daVinci robot in place, near the end of summer the hospital will be commissioning hyperbaric chambers to aid in wound treatment. In addition, cardiac procedures without having to open up the chest will be implemented through a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for those at greater risk during open-heart surgery. “Hospital CEO Roger Seaver has been instrumental in getting the cardiac program started,” Dhanda said, “This program wasn’t here before, but he made it possible.”
Looking forward to attracting specialists into Valencia with these innovative methods, the board is expanding its facilities with a new patient tower designed to add 142 individual rooms. Dhanda’s continued efforts in the hospital renovations, accreditation standards, and quality control services do not take him away from his private practice. “I love both taking care of my patients and helping to improve the hospital,” he said.
Even with 13-hour days, his desire to offer family-oriented health and hospice care remains unmatched. At age 21 he became a physician in India and later moved to the states to complete his training at USC Medical Center. With a family of his own, married with three kids, he visits his childhood home in New Delhi with whatever time he can spare.

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