10-12-2022 PTL - Flipbook - Page 4
4 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, October 12, 2022
LUNG DISEASE
Multidisciplinary
practice enables
coordinated care to
diagnose, treat and
manage all forms of
lung disease
The University of
Maryland Center for
Pulmonary Health
By Linda Esterson, Contributing Writer
N
early 545 million people had a chronic respiratory disease in 2017, according to Tower’s 9th Floor, alongside related specialthe World Health Organization (WHO), and each year more and more Americans
deal with serious issues related to breathing and pulmonary function. In fact,
chronic lower respiratory diseases were the sixth leading cause of death in 2020, according
to figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control.
With the increasing prevalence of lung
disease and associated pulmonary concerns, the University of Maryland Center
for Pulmonary Health recently relocated to
the system’s new Outpatient Tower on the
midtown campus in Baltimore. The center
provides onsite access to a multidisciplinary team of board-certified specialists
who offer coordinated, comprehensive care
for pulmonary diseases and lung disorders,
and offers collaborative services with providers across all 13 University of Maryland
Medical System hospital locations.
On the Forefront of Pulmonary Care
The University of Maryland Center for
Pulmonary Health offers a range of services
to best manage lung health. The center
was named a U.S. News & World Report
High Performer for Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and for
Pulmonary and Lung Surgery for 2022-23.
The rating is based on analysis of various data categories, including patient outcomes, such as patient survival, volume of
high-risk patients, patient experience, nurse
staffing and advanced clinical technologies.
The University of Maryland Medical Center
ranked in the top 10% of hospitals, rendering it high performing. The success of the
service line is attributed to the efforts of its
renowned team of expert multidisciplinary
clinicians who take a team approach to
care delivery.
Coordinated Care Model
The Center for Pulmonary Health is
located on the Midtown Campus Outpatient
ties like cardiology, sleep medicine and gastroenterology. Also located on the 9th floor
is a pulmonary function lab and echocardiogram and stress testing lab. The center was
designed as a one-stop shop for patients to
access referral-level specialty care.
“It’s common for a patient with COPD
to have other coexisting medical issues
like sleep disordered breathing, for which
they see a sleep doctor. For heart failure,
you can see a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist for gastroesophageal reflux
disease,” explains Robert M. Reed, M.D.,
medical director of Lung Transplantation in
the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine who specializes in pulmonology
and COPD. “Patients can see all of their
doctors on this one floor and even obtain
their needed testing.”
With the cadre of specialties on one
floor, just a short elevator ride above the
parking garage, patients find ease of
access. There’s no need to navigate buildings through a busy city landscape or wander up and down floors to find a specialist
or testing facility.
“Our coordinated care model proves especially efficient for patients who struggle to
walk and breathe at the same time,” Dr.
Reed explains. “In a traditional care environment, they have a hard time getting testing
done – they can’t do it quickly and it needs
to be on multiple days. With our new setup,
it’s no longer necessary. We can accommodate those people who have the hardest
time.”
Proximity also enables collaboration
among physicians. They can consult in realtime, during a patient’s time at the center.
“It makes communication between physicians and subspecialists easier,” adds
Avelino C. Verceles, M.D., M.S., section chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine at the University of Maryland
Medical Center Midtown Campus. “If I have
a patient who has COPD, and I think they
have a sleep disorder or a cardiac issue, I
can just walk to the adjacent patient care
pods for a curbside consult from a sleep
disorders physician or a cardiologist and
then connect them directly with the patient.”
Pulmonary Health,
continued on page 14