Private equity-backed urology group opens 2 new interventional radiology centers
A private equity-backed urology group continues its growth in interventional radiology with the opening of two new treatment centers.
New Jersey Urology will soon begin providing image guided procedures for enlarged prostates and other clinical concerns across the Garden State. The practice has hired three nationally recognized radiologists to lead the new facilities and is working with rad-owned platform company IR Centers to develop the program.
“By integrating interventional radiology directly into our clinical network, we can better coordinate referral, consultation, treatment and follow-up, while giving patients access to additional minimally invasive treatment options in a convenient outpatient setting,” Chidebelu Ufodike, PharmD, chief operating officer of New Jersey Urology, which is part of the larger Tennessee-based U.S. Urology Partners, said in a statement Oct. 19.
The new centers are located in the communities of Monroe and Voorhees, New Jersey, and will provide services such as embolization and other image-guided procedures. New Jersey Urology, acquired by U.S. Urology last year, plans to treat conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic pelvic pain, hemorrhoidal disease and musculoskeletal concerns. Leaders believe integrating the two medical specialties will help improve patient access, reduce reliance on hospital-based care and strengthen efficiencies.
Radiologists leading the program will include Arun Chockalingam, MD, Gregg Khodorov, MD, MBA, and Haokang Wei, MD.
“By partnering with leading interventional radiologists and expanding access to minimally invasive therapies, we are enhancing our ability to serve patients throughout the region with innovative, coordinated and patient-centered care,” added Gordon A. Brown, DO, president of New Jersey Urology.
IR Centers, a platform company launched by radiologist and CEO Sandeep Bagla, MD, also recently announced the opening of another center in July. Run through an agreement with the Michigan Institute of Urology, this marks the third IR lab with the physician group in that state.
IR Centers now boasts around 40 radiology centers across the U.S., managed through partnerships with urologists, orthopedists, and GI specialists. It also previously touted two more practice partnerships in April. The organization also has faced criticism from some interventional radiologists, who worry this care model is ceding too much IR control to other medical specialties.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.