Expansion, Innovative Technologies Expand Urological Care in Finger Lakes and Southern Tier
More people in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions of New York State are benefiting from the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Urology’s advanced care, through recent expansion and the addition of innovative technologies and services.
Two facilities enabling the department to serve more patients are located in Hornell and Canandaigua.
Expanding care in the Southern Tier
Care for Southern Tier residents is based in a former hospital facility in Hornell. This clinic offers a full range of treatments for such conditions as kidney, prostate, and bladder cancer, urinary incontinence, UTIs, low testosterone, infertility, and erectile dysfunction.
New and expanded services range from kidney stone surgery to laser prostate surgery. Advanced endourologic procedures are being performed there for kidney stones, including Mini PCNL (percutaneous nephrolithotripsy) and HoLEP (Holmium Laser Enucleation of Prostate) for BPH. The clinic acquired a state-of-the-art 150-W Thulium Laser to treat complex kidney stones and prostate procedures.
Innovative technologies and new capabilities give patients in the Southern Tier access to urological procedures near their residences and are drawing patients from other states as well.
“More and more patients are coming to us from outside the area for care, from Pennsylvania to the Poconos,” said Nitin Sharma, MD, whose area of expertise is general urology, including minimally invasive percutaneous renal surgeries to extract kidney stones, and HoLEP.
Wherever they come from, patients benefit from an outstanding level of care and from the Department’s highly collaborative team.
Celebrating one year in Canandaigua
The Canandaigua clinic recently celebrated its one-year anniversary as the Finger Lakes gateway for URMC’s regional urology practice. Housed in a 12,000-square-foot facility, the clinic offers more advanced equipment, more space for patient care, and a more efficient layout for provider workflow.
Patients are cared for by six attending urologists and six advanced practice providers (APPs).
The clinic recently acquired fusion prostate biopsy technology, which combines MRI and ultrasound images to increase providers’ ability to detect prostate cancer. Offering a transperineal approach to biopsies also reduces the risk of infection from the procedure.
Expanded rooms enable more on-site procedures, such as cystoscopies, bladder and prostate biopsies, vasectomies, and bladder Botox therapy. A Hoyer lift has been added to serve patients with mobility challenges.
“We are excited to be able to provide more comprehensive urologic care for our patients on a regional basis, and our continued expansion helps minimize the transportation barriers to healthcare access,” said Diane D. Lu, MD, assistant professor of clinical urology.
Further expansion on the way
According to URMC Department of Urology Chair Jean Joseph, MD, more expansion will be coming down the road.
“We are committed to giving more patients access to a full procedural suite so they can get the best possible urological care closer to where they live,” Joseph said. “We will continue to expand our clinics, our services, and our technologies to serve more patients across the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions.”