Orlando Health is developing the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute, a highly specialized gastrointestinal diagnostic and treatment program designed to serve patients from across the southeastern United States. The institute, which is currently providing services as it continues to grow, integrates medicine, surgery, radiology, and pathology to optimize care for patients with complex and general digestive and liver disorders.

“The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute is designed and developed by a panel of internationally recognized experts specializing in pancreatic and biliary disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal oncology and other complex digestive disorders,” said Sunil Desai, MD, president of Orlando Health Medical Group. “When fully developed in 2022, it will be the only one of its kind in the country. We are excited to introduce this comprehensive service to help the millions of people who suffer from these debilitating conditions.”

Annually, digestive diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affect approximately 1.5 million people in the United States and up to 70 million people worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. Multidisciplinary teams at the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute treat these and other conditions with advanced diagnostic techniques and therapies reinforced by personalized care to meet patients’ unique needs.

The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute currently consists of:

• The Center for Advanced Endoscopy where complex conditions are treated using the latest therapeutic endoscopy techniques resulting in fewer complications and hospitalizations.
• The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease featuring minimally invasive endoscopic treatments and a team-based approach to manage IBD and its complications.
• The Luminal Gastroenterology Program that manages patients with disorders such as GI bleeding, abdominal pain and intestinal polyps. 
• Subspecialty Programs encompassing pancreatic, liver and motility diseases are in development. 
• The Gastrointestinal Cancer Center where experienced physicians and a support system walk patients through every step of their treatment plan and recovery.
• Research that provides opportunities for innovative clinical trials and programs that educate the next generation of digestive health experts.

Future elements of the program include more than a dozen new physician specialists and several new digestive health facilities that are currently or will soon be under construction at multiple campuses including Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital, Orlando Health Medical Pavilion – Summerport and Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, which will become the institute’s flagship destination. Additional announcements will coincide with these new additions.