The Journal

Considered writing on the work we do.

The Journal is where we take time to write carefully about topics that matter to our patients and to our craft — anesthesia, technique, perioperative safety, the affiliated model, and the choices behind the standard. Written by the people who do this work. Not marketing.

Beach sunset · plein-air study

Featured · The NCSS Standard

What makes NCSS special.

'What makes you special' is a question every practice's marketing eventually answers. Ours mostly hasn't. Here it is: not one thing, mostly not new, and not more expensive — it's the combination we kept, and the small stuff we sweat.

H. Rand Scott, MD · Medical Director · December 2026 · 8 min read

Read the article →

Also worth your time.

Recent pieces on how we operate and how we think about the work.

Surgeon performing operation in hospital room

The NCSS Standard

The Rest-Assure Standard: what physician anesthesia means.

Most surgery centers deliver anesthesia through nurse anesthetists. We chose not to. The difference — and why it mattered enough for us to build the whole facility around it.

H. Rand Scott, MD · September 2026 · 6 min read

Plein-air oil painting of a woman jogging along the water's edge at sunrise.

Safety

On Ozempic? What to know before surgery.

GLP-1 medicines slow the stomach. Here is how we plan around that, and why most patients no longer have to stop taking them.

H. Rand Scott, MD · November 2026 · 3 min read

Oil painting of a sunlit bedroom at sunrise, a glass of water on the nightstand and the ocean beyond the window.

Recovery

Journavx: a non-opioid start to your recovery.

The first new class of acute pain medicine in more than twenty years. What it is, how we time it, and why most of our patients wake up comfortable.

H. Rand Scott, MD · October 2026 · 6 min read

Operating room surgical suite with UV-C sanitation equipment

Safety

One more layer: UV-C sanitation at NCSS.

How we go beyond standard cleaning — UV-C germicidal light in every room, every day, and why our infection rate stays well below the national benchmark.

Newport Center for Special Surgery · September 2026 · 6 min read

Care & Technique

On smoking and surgery: an honest position.

Every surgeon at NCSS handles smoking status differently. The range of positions is itself the point — and why we don't offer a single site-wide policy that pretends the question is simple.

H. Rand Scott, MD · October 2026 · 7 min read

Privacy & Practice

Why NCSS does not use a patient portal.

Patient portals became standard equipment in the 2010s. NCSS chose not to adopt one — for reasons of privacy, attack surface. Discretion is always a priority at NCSS.

H. Rand Scott, MD · November 2026 · 7 min read

Painting of a woman resting comfortably with a cup of tea beside a sunlit window overlooking the ocean.

Recovery

Staying ahead of pain: how your Rest-Assure plan works.

Three medicines, one schedule. Why the plan starts before surgery, and why staying on time matters.

H. Rand Scott, MD · November 2026 · 3 min read

Where to Begin

The right starting point is a conversation.

Every scheduled surgical patient is offered a free Rest-Assure pre-operative consultation with Dr. Rand Scott personally — medical history, medication planning, and discharge coordination before the day of surgery.

(949) 644-8182

Monday–Thursday, 8am–3pm · Friday by appointment only.

Elsewhere on This Site

Elsewhere worth knowing.

Perioperative Care

The perioperative standard.

The Surgeons

Eight affiliated plastic surgeons.

Procedures