HOUSTON, Sept. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center announces a new, state-of-the-art Digestive Disease Center that offers the most comprehensive Gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatology treatment in Houston under the leadership of renowned gastroenterologist, Dr. Atilla Ertan, and renowned hepatologist, Dr. Michael Fallon. The Digestive Disease Center is a GI Center of Excellence and offers advanced treatment from a highly-skilled, multidisciplinary team of specialists in affiliation with the University of Texas Health (UTHealth) Medical School, as well as access to innovative technology and supportive personalized care in a comforting environment.
"Our Center's mission with a fully integrated program-based model is to diagnose and treat patients in such a way that helps them to live a more comfortable life. That includes providing patients with a wealth of knowledge that can be utilized to better understand and manage their medical conditions," said Atilla Ertan, M.D., Medical Director of the Memorial Hermann Digestive Disease Center and professor of medicine at the UTHealth. "I strongly believe that our collaboration will help facilitate our excellence in delivering compassionate care to patients with all forms of digestive tract and liver disorders."
The new Center was formed from a joint collaboration of the existing Digestive Disease Center and the Texas Liver Center into a new 22,000-square-foot space on the 14th floor of the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza. The new space enables the Center's physicians to provide more collaborative and comprehensive medical and surgical treatment to patients with diseases of the esophagus, stomach, intestine, pancreas, biliary tract and liver – all under one roof.
The Center's unique depth and breadth now allow for the most comprehensive gastrointestinal and hepatological treatment in Texas and the Southwest as well as the management of complex tertiary conditions. In collaboration with physicians and researchers from UTHealth, the GI Center of Excellence is pioneering the most effective ways to treat and cure diseases associated with the digestive tract, as well as work to improve the quality of life for patients. The Center's physicians will maintain close relationships with the Memorial Hermann Hospital System, the city of Houston, as well as national and international physicians to optimize patient care, postgraduate education and clinical research.
The Center, which operates on an outpatient basis, treats entire digestive diseases including liver disease, using the most advanced treatment options available – including state-of-the-art medical therapy and surgery – while using minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.
The expertise of the highly-specialized physicians covers a broad range of conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disorders, especially Barrett's metaplasia and dysplasia; inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and chronic ulcerative colitis and other colitides; GI bleeding obscure in origin, peptic ulcers and hypergastrinemic conditions; GI and liver cancers; chronic and acute liver diseases; and benign and malignant liver-biliary-pancreatic disorders.
For more information, call the Digestive Disease Center at 713.704.3450.
About the Memorial Hermann Cancer Center - TMC
The Memorial Hermann Cancer Center – Texas Medical Center is located on the 29th floor of the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, 6400 Fannin St. Introducing cutting-edge clinical capabilities within a fully integrated space for holistic care and healing, the Center houses 16 private exam rooms, 16 open infusion pods, four private infusion rooms and an on-site lab. A full array of multidisciplinary services are offered in the new location—expanded treatment facilities, pain management, radiation therapy and nutritional and laboratory services. In addition to the full range of diagnostic and treatment services, the center also offers genetic counseling and continuous interdisciplinary rounds and conferences. Memorial Hermann has set the standard for timely and personalized service with short wait times and a primary nursing approach.