UF Health Neurosurgery — Orlando Health reflects new partnership

Orlando Health and the University of Florida department of neurosurgery have partnered to expand the neurosurgery program at Orlando Health with the opening of a specialized practice, UF Health Neurosurgery — Orlando Health. The practice is the first of its kind between Orlando Health and the internationally renowned UF Health program. Located on Orlando Health’s downtown campus the practice is an extension of a partnership formed in 2010 to make health care more accessible to millions of patients over a 20-county region.

The five-member practice includes neurosurgeons with diverse backgrounds and several subspecialties to diagnose and treat conditions, such as stroke and other cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy, spine and spinal cord conditions, brain tumors, movement disorders, hemifacial spasm, and cervical and lumbar herniated disc problems.

One of the areas the department specializes in is the diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain condition that impacts the nerve that carries sensation from the face to the brain. This condition can be difficult to identify and manage. Specialists in the department also have joined the hospital’s community physician partners in providing neurosurgery trauma call for Orlando Regional Medical Center’s Level One Trauma Center — an essential component of providing care for critically injured patients in the community.

“The UF Health neurosurgical practice will bring new subspecialties to our community, improve access to neurosurgical expertise, and enhance neurosurgical services we currently offer including comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients,” said Carlos Carrasco, chief operating officer, ORMC. “The physicians will also work closely with the neurosurgeons at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to collaborate in pediatric neurosurgery as well.”

The practice brings to Central Florida the university’s commitment to its three-part mission of excellence in patient care, research and education.

“Our team of highly subspecialized neurosurgeons performs more than 4,000 cases per year, treating complex diseases of the brain and spine,” said UF neurosurgeon William A. Friedman, MD, chairman of neurosurgery and the director of the Preston Wells Center for Brain Tumor Therapy. “We work to advance neurosurgical care through conducting clinical research, providing advanced surgical teaching and developing innovative surgical techniques. For example the patented UF radiosurgery system, developed in 1987, is in use at hundreds of hospitals all over the world.”

Specialists at the practice will offer many advanced surgical options, including neurovascular surgery, endovascular surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, adult spine deformity surgery, epilepsy surgery and deep brain stimulation therapy.

Friedman, who specializes in trigeminal neuralgia, stereotactic surgery and neuro-oncology, leads the practice. Additional neurosurgeons include Bridger Cox, German Montoya and Perry Dhaliwal. Samuel Tsappidi, an interventional neurologist, is also a member of the practice.

In addition to the members of the practice at Orlando Health, physicians from the Gainesville-based faculty will also provide medical care to the patients of Central Florida.

For additional information about the UF Health Neurosurgery — Orlando Health practice, call 321-841-7550.

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About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a $1.9 billion not-for-profit health care organization and a community-based network of physician practices, hospitals and care centers throughout Central Florida. Physician Associates, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in central Florida, consisting of more than 90 physicians in more than 20 locations, became a member of the Orlando Health family in January, 2013.

The organization, which includes the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics, is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. They are: Orlando Regional Medical Center; Dr. P. Phillips Hospital; South Seminole Hospital; Health Central Hospital, South Lake Hospital (50 percent affiliation); St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (20 percent affiliation), MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando – the first affiliate of one of the nation’s premier cancer centers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; and the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which consists of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. Orlando Health’s areas of clinical excellence are heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences, surgery, pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, neonatology, and women’s health.

Orlando Health is one of Central Florida’s largest employers with nearly 16,000 employees and more than 2,500 affiliated physicians supporting our philosophy of providing high quality care and service that revolves around patients’ needs. We prove this everyday with over 110,000 inpatient admissions and nearly 690,000 outpatient visits each year. In all, Orlando Health serves 1.6 million Central Florida residents and nearly 3,000 international patients annually. Additionally, Orlando Health provides approximately $239 million in support of community health needs. More information can be found at www.orlandohealth.com.

About University of Florida Health

University of Florida Health is the Southeast’s most comprehensive academic health center. With main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, UF Health includes six health colleges, seven research institutes and centers, two teaching hospitals, two specialty hospitals, and a host of physician medical practices and outpatient services throughout north central and northeast Florida. Our mission is to promote health through outstanding and high-quality patient care, innovative and rigorous education in the health professions and biomedical sciences, and high-impact research across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical investigation.

UF Health includes the UF colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Health Professions, and Veterinary Medicine, which includes both a large animal hospital and a small animal hospital. The system also encompasses seven UF research institutes and centers: the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the McKnight Brain Institute, the Genetics Institute, the UF Health Cancer Center, the Institute on Aging, the Emerging Pathogens Institute, and the Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona.

The full spectrum of patient-care services are provided through UF Health Shands Hospital and UF Health Jacksonville, UF’s private, not-for-profit affiliates. UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville includes UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital. The specialty hospitals, UF Health Shands Rehab Hospital and UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital, are also located in Gainesville. UF Health Jacksonville is the system’s northeast Florida teaching hospital.

UF Health offers a network of outpatient rehabilitation centers, UF Health Rehab Centers; two home health agencies in Gainesville and Jacksonville; and more than 80 UF physician outpatient practices located throughout north central and northeast Florida.

Media Contact:

Sabrina Childress Media Relations and Public Affairs Manager Media Relations, Orlando Health Phone: 321.841.8748 Email: sabrina.childress@orlandohealth.com

Melissa Lutz Blouin Director of News and Publications UF Health Communications, University of Florida Phone: 352-273-5810 Email : melissa.blouin@ufl.edu