Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute Receives National Pancreas Foundation Recognition

Orlando, FL (January 29, 2024) – The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute has been nationally recognized as an approved NPF Center by the National Pancreas Foundation. This recognition is awarded after an audit review to determine that an institution’s focus is on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreas-related diseases. Approved NPF Centers of Excellence are distinguished by their full treatment of patients with pancreas diseases, treating the “whole patient” with a focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.

“This recognition by the National Pancreas Foundation confirms what we’ve known to be true at our facility – a treatment program that takes all aspects of the patient experience into account leads to better patient outcomes,” said Dr. Shyam Varadarajulu, President of The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute. “Our physicians work with a full team to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care. I’m proud of the work we do at the institute and appreciate this significant national recognition.”

An approved NPF Center must meet criteria that were developed by a task force made up of invited subject matter experts and patient advocates. The criteria include having the required expert physician specialties such as gastroenterologists, pancreas surgeons, and interventional radiologists, along with more patient focused programs such as a pain management service, psychosocial support and more.

“We are thrilled to expand our NPF Centers of Excellence Program to better serve the needs of patients suffering from pancreas disease,” said David Bakelman, CEO of the National Pancreas Foundation. “The NPF Centers of Excellence Program is one of the pillars of NPF, and we are looking forward to working with our current and new Centers.”

The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute is now one of 176 NPF Centers of Excellence in the United States. These centers develop and share best practices in the treatment of pancreas diseases, and are re-evaluated every three years.

For more information about the National Pancreas Foundation, please visit www.pancreasfoundation.org.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $9.2 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for Central Florida’s only pediatric and adult Level I Trauma program as well as the only state- accredited Level II Adult Trauma Center in Pinellas County. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health has pioneered life-changing medical research and its Graduate Medical Education program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows.

The 3,888-bed system includes 29 hospitals and emergency departments – 24 of which are currently operational with five coming soon. The system also includes nine specialty institutes, more than 100 adult and pediatric primary care practices, skilled nursing facilities, an in- patient behavioral health facility under the management of Acadia Healthcare, and more than 60 outpatient facilities that include imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with FastMed Urgent Care. More than 4,750 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 27,000 team members and more than 1,200 physicians.

In FY22, Orlando Health served nearly 142,000 inpatients and 3.9 million outpatients. The healthcare system provided more than $782 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more in FY 21, the most recent period for which this information is available.

Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.

About The National Pancreas Foundation

Founded in 1997, the National Pancreas Foundation provides hope for those suffering from pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer through funding cutting-edge research, advocating for new and better therapies and providing support and education for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. The NPF is the only foundation dedicated to patients suffering from all forms of pancreas disease. For more information visit: www.pancreasfoundation.org