About

Rachel Hargrove, MD, chose a career in medicine, believing that it’s a unique privilege to be able to heal the body, relieve illness, and ease suffering. As a cardiac surgeon, she focuses her skills on one of the body’s most fascinating and important organs – the strong, resilient and spontaneous heart that leads the body through life. To be able to help patients with heart disease regain health and quality of life brings Dr. Hargrove great joy.

Seeing the smile on the patient’s face when they are heading home from the hospital…I feel the most satisfied when they tell me how much better they feel. Often in the postoperative visit, the pain, fatigue or shortness of breath is gone and I hear tales of new plans for the future without the prior limitations. These visits sustain and give me strength of purpose.

Dr. Hargrove practices patient-centered medicine. She treats each person as an individual and creates a treatment plan that is tailored to provide the best outcome for that individual. Her training and experience allows her to utilize up to date guidelines, innovative techniques and cutting-edge technology to treat her patients. She performs all aspects of cardiothoracic surgery including coronary bypass, valve repair and replacement, maze procedure and re-operation heart surgery with specialized training in AtriClip ligation of the left atrial appendage and aortic root surgery. Although heart surgery is a major event, she believes that with new advances, many surgeries can be safely done with minimally invasive approaches, making it her goal to provide minimally invasive and robotic options when feasible. 

Dr. Hargrove received her medical degree from Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in 2010, after which she returned to her home state of California to attend Loma Linda University Medical Center for a residency in general surgery. Upon completion in 2015, she returned to Illinois for a Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Loyola University Medical Center. She is a member of multiple professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Women in Thoracic Surgery.

When not meeting with patients or in surgery, she enjoys time with her family as well as hiking and art. Dr. Hargrove is fluent in Spanish.

Languages

English, Spanish

Provider Specialty

Cardiothoracic - Thoracic Surgery, Surgery - Cardiothoracic

Education

Medical School

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

2010

Internship/Residency - Surgery

Loma Linda University Medical Center

2015

Fellowship Program - Cardiothoracic Surgery

Loyola University Medical Center

2017

Locations & Affiliations

Locations

Insurance

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Patient Reviews

4.9 out of 5
(139 Ratings)
Jun 18, 2026
John W.
She explained everything to me it was easy to understand the way she explained it nice person courteous
Jun 17, 2026
Lowell C.
She did an excellent job of explaining the procedures for the surgery and was very thoughtful
Jun 12, 2026
Sergio A.
Dr Hargrove is very thorough, she listens attentively to my questions, explains in simple words my medical condition and procedures I will be having for surgery.
May 28, 2026
Bradly D.
She was very knowledgeable and professional while I felt she also had a good comforting way about her. I will feel even better if she and God help me get through my surgery
May 21, 2026
Cathy L.
She’s the best surgeon in OC
May 21, 2026
Theresa B.
Dr. Hargrove was very kind and very informative about my procedure.
May 20, 2026
Khanh D.
Very good Doctor!Thank you !
May 20, 2026
Duoc T.
She is nice and explains everything l asked
May 15, 2026
Robert S.
very caring excellent bedside manners
May 14, 2026
Roy H.
She knows her craft and communicates well. She instills confidence in the doctor patient relationship.

Source: Reviews are aggregated from third-party review sites such as Facebook, Google, HealthGrades, RepuGen, Vitals, WebMD, and Yelp.