Holly RichterThe National Association For Continence has reaccredited the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Continence and Urogynecology Care Clinics as a Center of Excellence for Continence Care.
The Center of Excellence designation is based on evidence of extensive training, clinical experience, resources and patient satisfaction statistics that meet established standards.
“This reaccreditation further affirms that our Continence and Urogynecology Care Clinics strive to ensure quality care for patients every day,” said William Andrews, Ph.D., M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in UAB’s School of Medicine. “It’s an honor to have our physicians and staff recognized for their dedication to those they serve.”
UAB’s Continence and Urogynecology Care Clinics were the first in the United States to be recognized as a Center of Excellence, in 2010, by the NAFC, which established the program to offer consumers seeking solutions to their bladder- and bowel-control problems and related pelvic floor dysfunction a reliable, trustworthy means of finding an experienced and credentialed expert. Health care institutions seeking to apply for this designation must first meet prequalification requirements set by the NAFC and its Centers of Excellence Governance Board. The designation process is patient-centered and includes a patient satisfaction survey and an extensive site visit.
Patricia Goode“UAB’s Continence Clinic and its Urogynecology Care Clinic provide world-class care and have made fundamental discoveries that prevent and reduce incontinence,” said C. Seth Landefeld, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine. “These clinics at UAB have, in fact, transformed continence care around the world. I am deeply proud that they were the first in the world recognized by NAFC as a Center of Excellence for Continence Care. All of us at UAB and many patients across the country are grateful to Drs. Burgio, Goode and Richter for their pioneering leadership.”
UAB Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery physicians recognized as the health care providers for UAB’s NAFC Center of Excellence designation include Holly E. Richter, Ph.D., M.D., professor and division director; Robert L. Holley, M.D., professor; Alicia Ballard, M.D., assistant professor; and R. Edward Varner, M.D., professor and division fellowship director. UAB Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care physicians recognized include Patricia S. Goode, M.D., professor; and Alayne D. Markland, D.O., associate professor.
Kathryn Burgio, Ph.D., professor of Medicine, and nurse practitioners Jeannine McCormick and Lisa Pair, along with others, are part of the care team at these clinics.
The Continence and Urogynecology Care Clinics are part of UAB’s Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine, and the Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, respectively.