Columbia University Medical Center Collaborate to Provide Liver Care and Transplantation Services

A new agreement between Hackensack University Medical Center (HackensackUMC), a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, and Columbia University Medical Center’s (CUMC) Division of Liver Disease and Transplantation, will provide patients in New Jersey greater access to the latest innovations and treatment options in liver care.

“This new collaboration addresses the needs of patients with liver disease, including cancer, by bringing together Columbia University, one of the nation’s top academic medical centers and best in New York, with HackensackUMC, listed as the number one hospital in New Jersey in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016-17 Best Hospital rankings,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., president of HackensackUMC.

About 30 million people in the United States—one in 10—have some form of liver disease, according to the American Liver Foundation.  These illnesses include infections with hepatitis A, B or C viruses, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Through the agreement, Columbia physicians will provide consultation for HackensackUMC outpatient clinical services and 24/7 phone consultations for HackensackUMC patients and affiliated physicians.  Columbia will assist HackensackUMC in the developing of hepatology best practices for treatment and referral of patients with advanced liver-related conditions, including patient evaluations for liver transplantations.  Columbia will assist HackensackUMC to develop quality assurance policies and procedures as needed to further enhance the clinical care provided to HackensackUMC liver inpatients.

The Columbia physicians participating in the new collaboration include members of the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, which offers adults and children with liver disease the seamless integration of medical, surgical and radiologic expertise.  Founded in 1998, the Center has performed 1,985 liver transplants as of June 30, 2016, and has cared for thousands of patients with liver disease and liver cancer.

The Columbia Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation offers patients care from multidisciplinary experts with extensive experience diagnosing and treating all forms and stages of liver disease, including antiviral treatment for Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B infections as well as liver transplantation.  Patients referred to the Center receive care from the close collaboration of clinical specialists including hepatologists, gastroenterologists, hepatobiliary surgeons, diagnostic and pathology experts, advanced-care nurses, social workers, and patient support staff affiliated with the program.  The Center’s team assesses and treats liver disease, liver cancer, bile duct cancers and cancer that started elsewhere in the body and has spread to the liver with standard medical or surgical therapies, as well as clinical trials of promising investigational medicines and procedures.

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