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BIDMC Designated a National Pancreas Foundation Center

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been designated by the National Pancreas Foundation as an NPF Center. This newly created designation was awarded to 30 premier healthcare facilities nationwide that focus on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatitis and other pancreatic disorders.

“The National Pancreas Foundation is a special organization and BIDMC is honored to be named as an NPF Center,” says Steven D. Freedman, MD, PhD, Director of the Pancreas Center at BIDMC. “This designation helps distinguish BIDMC as an institution that is committed to providing patients with pancreatic diseases the best and most innovative care available.”

The NPF Centers were awarded after a rigorous audit review to ensure that programs are focused on multidisciplinary treatment, as well as on advancing research and promoting heightened awareness and understanding of pancreatitis and related conditions among community physicians, allied health professionals and patients and their families.

“The NPF Center designation will help us to better serve this important patient population,” says Matthew Alsante, Executive Director of the National Pancreas Foundation. “Once an institution receives this designation, we can recommend with confidence that patients will receive quality care at these designated Centers.”

BIDMC’s Pancreas Center is a world-class leader in the treatment of confirmed and suspected pancreatic diseases, as well as in innovative research to understand these painful conditions. BIDMC’s highly individualized approach is carefully designed to provide a range of diagnostic and therapeutic options for numerous conditions including acute and chronic pancreatitis, as well as pancreatic disease associated with mutations in the gene causing cystic fibrosis. The program also maintains rigorous screening and surveillance regimens for patients at high-risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

“When it comes to caring for patients with pancreatic disease, multidisciplinary care is extremely important,” says Freedman. “The pancreas is a complex organ and it’s not always immediately clear which treatment discipline is required. Bringing together our range of experts helps patients to more quickly restore their quality of life.”

A team of specialized professionals in the BIDMC Pancreas Center work together to provide thoughtful assessments of patients’ conditions and to develop comprehensive treatment plans. These include gastroenterologists specializing in medical pancreatology and in interventional endoscopy, as well as radiologists specialized in imaging procedures for pancreatic disease patients. Other members of the team include pancreatic oncologists and surgeons from the BIDMC Cancer Center and its Pancreatic Cancer Center. In addition, patient-focused programs provide pain management and psychosocial support for patients with pancreatic disease.

– See more at: http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/BIDMCInteractive/BIDMC-Bulletin/Archives/Sept15/Health-Headlines#pancreas.aspx