Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog! My goal here is to get more personal – and simply share stuff with my friends, family, and patients!  You can expect some posts on the latest advances in cosmetic surgery (although it seems like there’ll be a fair amount of music-related posts – they’re too much fun to make!) I also expect that we’ll have more contests and free stuff, special events and even very special guests!

Categories


You wear your seatbelt

Seat Belts Matter. So Do Masks. Wear one! (published in OC Register)

August 10, 2020

According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 US lives in 2017.  This would not have been possible without laws proscribing their use. Yet, as apposed to the visceral responses we have seen against mask-wearing mandates, none of the more than 221 million licensed drivers in the U.S. are out in the streets or carrying guns to state legislatures protesting ‘buckling up for safety’! As of now in the US, there have been over 150,000 Covid-related deaths. The CDC predicted today that there will be another 44,000 deaths this month alone. Another respected and historically accurate study predicts that if we continue on our current course, by November 1 (in 3 months), there will be an additional 82,000 deaths nationwide – but 32,000 can be prevented with a national mask mandate.  That is about twice the number of lives saved every year by seat belt laws. I’ve been performing surgery for over 30 years on thousands of people and have worn a mask every time.  I have never seen a surgeon who refuses to wear a mask because it infringes on his or her personal freedom, and I wonder if any patients [...]
What are hospital crisis standards?

What Are Hospital Crisis Standards?

July 3, 2020

Agenda What are “Crisis Standards”? Current Covid-19 status at Hoag Hospital. (Newport Beach, CA) Insights learned from Hoag’s experience New and current Hoag hospital recommendations Based on detailed notes from Hoag telephone conference update to medical staff and employees, July 1, 2020 Featuring summary of comments from: Michael Hurwitz – Chief of Medical Staff Phil Robinson – Director of Infection Prevention Melissa Garcia – Manager of Infection Prevention Grace Levinsky – Surge Planning
Is cataract surgery safe during the pandemic?

Is Cataract Surgery Safe During the Pandemic?

June 13, 2020

Agenda Review and analysis of this week’s OC coronavirus stats What is a cataract and is it safe to get cataract surgery during the pandemic? Interview with Gene Rhodes – President of Newport Center Medical Plaza New policies to make our medical buildings safer! Interview with Bryan Doonan, MD – head of Newport Center Urgent Care Availability of coronavirus testing – does insurance cover it? Breaking news: new rapid COVID-19 testing now available! New Orleans music, including songs by Jelly Roll Morton and Tom Waits Timestamps: 16:28 – Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans 19:08 – Presentation and intro 23:14 – Cataracts in the pandemic 27:28 – Analysis of today’s coronavirus stats 37:06 – Dr. Doonan interview 50:14 – Gene Rhodes interview 1:04:41 – New Orleans piano music
South of the Border photo cropped

South of the Border - A Musical House Call

November 4, 2019

South of the Border: A musical house call The other evening I was visiting with my good friend and patient Stephen.  We enjoy sharing music together. “South of the Border" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry. Great song! Such imagery and pathos! I would add that I’m always humbled by the fact that, besides being a great crooner, Stephen is one of the greatest chemists of his generation, and (among many other things) was the head scientist in charge of making sure that the thrusters worked for the first NASA landing on the moon!  At 99 and still going strong, Stephen is an example for all of us. Enjoy, Dr. Weiss PS Be sure to listen for our vocal duet at the 2 minute mark!

Antiquum Farms – Organic Viticulture

October 31, 2019

Antiquum Farms - Organic Viticulture This is for all of you who appreciate wine. While visiting my son (who graduated recently from the University of Oregon) in Eugene, we had the pleasure of staying at Antiquum Farms, an organic farm in the Willamette Valley.  Here I am out in the vineyard with owner Stephen Hagen talking about growing grapes without herbicides, and natural methods such as letting the sheep, geese and chickens do the grazing (the animals can clear 6 acres in 10 days!) This organic micro-site specific farming is referred to as grazing based viticulture. According to Stephen: “We use intensive rotational grazing to cycle nutrients from diverse cover crops to the vines.  This intermitant grazing creates cycles of root die-off which release and retain microbial life and organic matter.  Top dressings of consumed cover crops are carried back to the vine roots by these stimulated microbes and other creepy crawleys.  Several years of this practice have lead to a vineyard that needs no fertilizer from outside the farm, creating a unique wine that is truly site specific.” In any case, we really enjoyed our visit and the wine! I hope you find this as interesting as we did! Enjoy, [...]
Weiss Cosmetic Staff Photo

Detailed Patient Survey Results!

October 11, 2019

All of your comments regarding Dr. Weiss, staff, and your satisfaction The best! Explained every detail, answered every question, called after surgery to check on me. Truly gifted and caring. The staff is so kind. I felt I could call with any question or concern. They are amazing and love each and every one of them. Well run, friendly, professional office The office staff is very friendly and makes me feel welcome each visit. Dr. Weiss's caring and compassion plus enthusiasm for sharing his other interests/hobbies is a pleasant surprise in this day of "sterile" patient/doctor interactions. they are always kind and friendly Dr Weiss always makes me feel welcomed as a person and not just a client I really appreciate the good energy everyone in the office has. Everyone seems to be happy to be there. Everyone provides great service and make you feel welcome. Dr Weiss always goes above and beyond!!! I can’t say enough great things about this office. He is very friendly and has great bedside manner You do great work and I always looked forward to going to your office I am having my procedure on DATE REDACTED and very excited. So far I’m very [...]
Weiss Cosmetic Staff Photo

Patient Survey Results!

June 20, 2019

  99% of you had Excellent or Very Good procedure results and experiences! 98% of you have had an Excellent or Very Good experience with our staff!   These results (and especially the next section which includes all of your free-form comments) have brought tears of joy to our eyes! We’d like to send a big thank you to all 106 patients who participated in the survey for helping us improve in providing the highest quality care. All of your comments regarding Dr. Weiss, staff, and your satisfaction The best! Explained every detail, answered every question, called after surgery to check on me. Truly gifted and caring. The staff is so kind. I felt I could call with any question or concern. They are amazing and love each and every one of them. Well run, friendly, professional office The office staff is very friendly and makes me feel welcome each visit. Dr. Weiss's caring and compassion plus enthusiasm for sharing his other interests/hobbies is a pleasant surprise in this day of "sterile" patient/doctor interactions. they are always kind and friendly Dr Weiss always makes me feel welcomed as a person and not just a client I really appreciate the good energy [...]
Rick With Kids email

The Gift of Sight

May 13, 2019

The Gift of Sight Written by Richard Weiss, M.D. for the “Chicken Soup” series, “Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul” I will never forget the look on Stevie Wonder’s face.  In appreciation of Stevie lending his name to our One World Sight Project, an effort to cure world blindness, I was giving him a small token of our thanks.  There is a blind sculpture garden in the Picasso museum in the south of France that publishes a book that recreates some of Picasso greatest works in relief for the vision impaired.  The book is stark white, resembling the Beatles’ white album, and after several pages in Braille, there followed 15-20 embossed Picasso artworks. Because Stevie had always been blind, I was not sure that he would be able to recognize and appreciate drawings and symbols, a skill sometimes absent in people visually impaired from birth.  I held my breath as I placed his hands on the book and he began to turn the pages, closely examining each one. “Wait a minute, let’s go back a few pages,” he exclaimed. The expression on his face at the sudden recognition of one of the previous pages was to me worth all of [...]
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patricks Day! (Danny Boy)

March 17, 2019

Today I couldn't decide which song to choose, so here are the two Weiss Music Minute finalists! (recorded 3/16/19) First up, we have everyone's favorite Irish song: Danny Boy. This song was first written down in an old Irish song book from 1855 when it was called “Londonderry Air.” Although I had seen this title before, I didn’t happen to know that an air (Italian: aria) is a song-like vocal or instrumental composition. Or also that "The Londonderry Air" is an air that originated in County Londonderry, one of the original counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward. [Courtesy of Wikipedia :-) ] This is my short arrangement of a traditional song with a non-traditional ending. “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” was composed by Henry MacGregor Woods, who also wrote the music for "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)”! Although Woods became legendary from this song, in modern times the song is probably most associated with Merrie Melodies cartoons (maybe that’s where I first heard it). It’s also a common tune played by the string bands in Philadelphia's Mummers Parade (a shout out to my home town, Philadelphia! Picture the Mummers strutting to this [...]