NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute has selected the North Shore-LIJ Health System to serve as its exclusive alliance member in the New York metropolitan area.
The unique alliance announced jointly today by Cleveland Clinic and the North Shore-LIJ Health System is aimed at providing cardiac patients in the New York metropolitan area with new and enhanced treatment options, and greater access to clinical trials and technologies in cardiology and cardiac surgery. As part of the collaboration, North Shore-LIJ is now a member of Cleveland Clinic's Cardiovascular Specialty Network.
"We're honored that the best heart hospital in the world has selected North Shore-LIJ as its exclusive New York alliance member," said Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. "This collaboration further strengthens a heart program already recognized as one of the best in New York."
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Recently released New York State Department of Health reports showed that North Shore University Hospital had the state's highest success rate for patients undergoing cardiac stent procedures, while its sister hospital, LIJ Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, had New York's best cardiac surgery outcomes.
Cleveland Clinic selected North Shore-LIJ as a member of its alliance and national Cardiovascular Specialty Network after a year-long, operational assessment of its cardiology, cardiac surgery and electrophysiology programs, including an analysis of operating rooms, intensive care units, work flows, policies and procedures, mortality rates, imaging capabilities and other services.
Ranked No. 1 in the US in heart care since 1995 by US News & World Report, Cleveland Clinic found that North Shore University Hospital met the strenuous criteria required to become a member of its alliance and cardiovascular specialty network.
North Shore-LIJ becomes only the second health system in the nation to become an alliance member and cardiovascular specialty network member of Cleveland Clinic's world-renowned Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. The MedStar Heart Institute in Washington, DC, became an alliance member in 2013.
"As the delivery of healthcare continues to evolve and medicine moves from an art to a science, it's crucial that healthcare organizations maintain databases to track clinical measures and quality standards," said Toby Cosgrove, MD, president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. "This new alliance is an opportunity to work closely with an organization that, like Cleveland Clinic, uses measurable, objective data to enhance patient care and safety. This is how healthcare becomes safer, less expensive and more efficient."
North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center are part of a unified cardiac services program that also includes Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Staten Island University Hospital and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, NY. Collectively, they perform more than 2,700 surgeries, 7,100 interventional and 5,200 electrophysiology procedures annually – one of the largest programs in New York State. As the destination site for Cleveland Clinic referrals, North Shore University Hospital performs about 700 open-heart surgeries, 2,200 interventional procedures and 1,300 electrophysiology procedures annually.
"This collaboration with Cleveland Clinic builds on our success by leveraging the clinical and research strength of the nation's top-ranked cardiac program, giving New York area patients access to clinical trials that they will only be able to find in the North Shore-LIJ Health System," said Stanley Katz, MD, senior vice president of cardiovascular services at North Shore-LIJ. "That's a huge differentiator in a market well regarded for the quality of cardiac care."
The two health systems have been collaborating since 2012, when North Shore-LIJ joined Cleveland Clinic's Innovation Alliance. That program seeks to enhance the discovery, development, deployment and commercialization of new technologies originating from North Shore-LIJ's clinical facilities and the health system's Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.
About North Shore-LIJ Health System
One of the nation's largest health systems, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, a visionary approach to medical education highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, and healthcare coverage to individuals, families and businesses through the North Shore-LIJ CareConnect Insurance Co. Inc. North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 17 hospitals and more than 400 outpatient physician practices throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ's owned hospitals and long-term care facilities house more than 6,000 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with over 9,400 physicians. With a workforce of about 48,000, North Shore-LIJ is the largest private employer in New York State.
About Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals, more than 75 Northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 16 full-service Family Health Centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, scheduled to begin seeing patients in 2015, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2012, there were 5.1 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 157,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 130 countries.
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Terry Lynam 516-465-2640
