PR Touts New Transplant Program

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tower Health and its Reading Hospital have launched an extensive public relations campaign to tout their new transplant program, but officials of the health company have refused to answer a series of questions about the program.
Tower announced on Sept. 12 that it would be taking over the transplant program formerly based at the now shuttered Hahnemann University Hospital.
"Thousands of transplants and we're just beginning," proclaims one ongoing Tower television commercial.
In one recent press release the health care firm boasted of the approval of its new transplant institute by regulatory agencies, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and the Department of Health.
"The approvals from UNOS and the Department of Health is fantastic news for Tower Health, our patients, and the community," said Clint Matthews, Tower President and CEO, in the Nov.22 press release.
While officials of UNOS confirmed approval of Tower's kidney and liver programs, state Health Department officials did not.
Nate Wardle, a Health Department spokesman, said the agency was informed of Tower Health's plan to initiate a transplant program.
"We will conduct surveys as they go through this process, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will make the final determination of when the program is approved," Wardle wrote in an email response to questions.
CMS oficials, meanwhile, said they could not comment on any pending applications. Under recent federal rules changes, however, hospitals seeking approval for a transplant program must first seek state approval.
Anne Paschke of UNOS wrote in an email that Reading Hospital has been approved for kidney, living kidney and liver transplantation. She added that their records indicate the program was already in operation.
Among the questions posed to Tower and Reading that went unanswered was whether Tower received bankruptcy court approval to take over the program and whether Tower made any payments into the bankruptcy in return for the program takeover.

















Published on November 22, 2019
Tower Health Transplant Institute Receives Regulatory Approvals

West Reading, PA., November 22, 2019 - Tower Health announced today that Tower Health Transplant Institute has received the necessary regulatory approvals from UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) and the Department of Health to begin performing transplant surgeries.

"The approvals from UNOS and the Department of Health is fantastic news for Tower Health, our patients, and the community," said Clint Matthews, President and CEO, Tower Health. "We are honored to bring this award-winning team and its renowned physicians and staff to the communities we serve. It is a true display of the relentless pursuit of excellence in all that we do."

The Tower Health Transplant Institute and Center for Liver Diseases includes transplant surgery, hepatology, and nephrology inpatient services at Reading Hospital, selected inpatient services at Chestnut Hill Hospital, and outpatient services at Reading Hospital and in Center City Philadelphia. The team will perform kidney and liver transplants at the Reading Hospital HealthPlex, preserving a leading transplant program for southeastern PA and bringing kidney and liver transplant services to Berks County and its surrounding communities for the first time.

"We are thrilled to have the transplant program, and all that it brings to our patients and communities, be part of Tower Health," said David Reich, MD, Medical Director and Chief Surgeon, Tower Health Transplant Institute. "This is an extraordinary way for us to deliver on our promise of Advancing Health. Transforming Lives."
About Tower Health

With more than 12,000 team members, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville; Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia; Jennersville Hospital in West Grove; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; and Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown. It also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading; home healthcare services provided by Tower Health at Home; and a network of 22 urgent care facilities across the Tower Health service area. Tower Health offers a connected network of 2,000 physicians, specialists and providers across 125 convenient locations. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.



Tower Health Recruits Nationally Recognized Kidney and Liver Transplant Team; Opens Tower Health Transplant Institute
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Published on September 12, 2019
Tower Health Recruits Nationally Recognized Kidney and Liver Transplant Team; Opens Tower Health Transplant Institute

Tower Health announced today that a new Tower Health Transplant Institute has been organized and will become the new home for the nationally recognized kidney and liver transplant program formerly located at Hahnemann University Hospital.

The program's team of renowned surgeons, hepatologists, and nephrologists have joined the Tower Health Medical Group and will provide services in West Reading and Philadelphia. The transplant team surgeons -- who have performed more than 3,000 organ transplants -- will perform kidney and liver transplants at the state-of-the-art Reading Hospital HealthPlex, one of the most technologically advanced surgical facilities in the state. Inpatient services will be provided at Tower Health - Reading Hospital and Tower Health - Chestnut Hill Hospital, with outpatient services at Reading Hospital and in Center City Philadelphia. The Tower Health Transplant Institute will also include the Center for Liver Disease that was part of the Hahnemann program.

"With the unfortunate closure of Hahnemann, our goal was to create a home for this nationally-ranked kidney and liver transplant program so it could continue serving patients in eastern Pennsylvania and surroundings areas," said Clint Matthews, president and CEO of Tower Health. "We are pleased to welcome these ten outstanding surgeons and physicians, along with experienced clinical and support staff. These specialists chose to come to Tower Health because they liked what they saw in our people, our facilities, and our vision."

While at Hahnemann, the Transplant program became the only 5-star-rated kidney transplant program in Pennsylvania and the third best kidney transplant program in the nation as ranked by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, based on patient survival with a functioning kidney one year after transplant. Tower Health - Reading Hospital, where transplants will take place, is the largest hospital between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and is recognized nationally for its exceptional clinical quality and safety, advanced technology, and compassionate care.

David J. Reich, MD, Medical Director of the Tower Health Transplant Institute and Professor of Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, noted that "along with internationally distinguished hepatologist, Santiago J. Muñoz, MD, and nephrologist, Karthik M. Ranganna, MD, our entire group is delighted to remain a team and to join the preeminent Tower Health system that is setting national standards for healthcare quality and patient satisfaction. We are deeply committed to excellence in clinical care, improving access to transplant services, and to the expanding academic mission of Tower Health." Dr. Muñoz is Medical Director of Liver Transplant and the Center for Liver Disease, Tower Health Transplant Institute and The Donald Berkowitz Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Ranganna is Medical Director of Kidney Transplant, Tower Health Transplant Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Within the Transplant Institute, the Center for Liver Disease will provide comprehensive care and leading-edge therapies to manage and treat a variety of liver diseases."We are pleased to have a new home at Tower Health that will allow us to care for our patients with liver disease without interruption," said Dr. Muñoz. "And, we are excited to work with Tower Health on advancing liver disease services in the region."

Pending approval by UNOS (the Unified Network of Organ Sharing), transplants could begin by the end of 2019. Outpatient services, such as patient pre-surgical evaluation and monitoring and transplant follow-up will begin in September. Communications are underway with patients about the new locations for their care and how to ensure uninterrupted care.

"We are thrilled that Tower Health is able to preserve, and will work to grow, one of the best transplant programs in the country," said Mr. Matthews. "The relocation of this program also represents a major expansion of Tower Health's capabilities in meeting the full spectrum of health needs for the communities we serve."
About Tor renowned team
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Thousands of transplants and we're just beginning.