Atlantic Health System announced Monday that it is teaming up with NYU Langone Health in a dynamic partnership that will provide patients in the region with greater access to top-of-its class care for heart and liver transplants.
The clinical affiliation will partner NYU Langone’s nationally recognized transplant program with the nationally ranked Atlantic Health System Heart Care program located at Morristown Medical Center’s Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and the ground-breaking liver services at Overlook Medical Center in Summit.
The partnership brings together two of the leading hospitals and hospital systems in the region.
Morristown Medical Center, the top-ranked hospital in New Jersey, also is nationally ranked for cardiovascular medicine, according to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report rankings.
NYU Langone is the No. 2 ranked hospital in New York City and among the ten best in the country.
Atlantic Health System President and CEO Brian Gragnolati said the partnership of the two health care giants will have a big impact for New Jersey residents.
“This new affiliation will strengthen our nationally ranked cardiac program, while significantly enhancing our ability to care for patients with advanced liver disease,” he said. “Our patients will now have the combination of access to one of the nation’s leading transplantation programs, with expert care both in New York and close to home in New Jersey that will ensure continuity of care and the best outcomes.”
The health systems will coordinate transplant care at Morristown Medical Center (for heart patients) and Overlook Medical Center (for liver patients), with surgeries at the renowned NYU Langone Transplant Institute.
At Morristown, pre- and post-op care for heart transplant patients will take place through Atlantic Health’s Heart Success Program, a multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, advanced practice nurses, and registered nurses, led by Dr. Abhishek Singh, who is boarded in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.
At Overlook, Atlantic Health and NYU Langone will collaborate to develop a robust liver disease and transplant service, that will diagnose and treat a broad spectrum of liver disease. Overlook Medical Center’s vascular lab is already pioneering the diagnosis and treatment of fatty liver disease through a combination of transient elastography and portal duplex ultrasound.
Liver transplant care will begin on-site at Overlook with Dr. Harmit Kalia, a board-certified hepatologist and director of liver transplant outreach at NYU Langone, who will join Overlook’s medical staff while continuing to practice at NYU Langone.
The majority of pre- and post-op care for liver transplant patients can be provided by Atlantic Health System at Overlook, which offers a full radiological suite of services, including interventional radiologists who treat advanced liver disease, led by Dr. Yousaf Mahmood.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute and the H. Leon Pachter Chair of Surgery at NYU Langone, said the partnership will help save lives.
“This new partnership will elevate transplant care for thousands of New Jersey families — and save many lives,” he said. “Our comprehensive team of specialized surgeons, physicians, nurse coordinators, pharmacists, nutritionists, and social workers is excited to offer world-class care to patients of the Atlantic Health System and advance our joint mission to expand access to organ transplantation.”
