September 1, 2015 – The Pancreas Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia has been designated a Center for the Care and Treatment of Pancreatitis by the National Pancreas Foundation. Thirty centers across the nation have earned this designation; The Pancreas Center is the only NPF center in New York.
In evaluating center for accreditation, the National Pancreas Foundation performs extensive audits of centers that treat pancreatitis and identifies those centers that provide the best possible outcomes. Centers must meet strict criteria including having an extensive team of expert specialists such as gastroenterologists, pancreas surgeons, interventional radiologists, and pathologists with expertise in gastrointestinal disease. Centers must offer patient-focused programs such as a pain management service, psychosocial support, diabetes/endocrinology programs, and other services. Centers must also be engaged in clinical trials for pancreatitis, have an auto-islet transplantation program, and more. A list of these criteria is available at National Pancreas Foundation Center Criteria.
The ultimate goal, according to the Foundation, is to facilitate consistent, high-quality, multidisciplinary treatment of patients with pancreatitis, as well as to advance research and understanding of pancreatitis “among community physicians, allied health professionals, patients, families and the general public.”