The clinical operations of the HVBC are well established, productive and have resulted in a growing patient base, currently serving over 120 patients annually.

HVBC’s patient base is constantly expanding through physician referrals, word of mouth and web sites. The high standard of care delivered in a kind, and nurturing environment appears to be the driving force behind this phenomenon. Our Nurse/Parent Coordinator, Sandy Collins, with excellent clinical and interpersonal skills, further enhances our program.

Plans to coordinate with a similar database at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Vascular Anomalies Center of Excellence, led by Milton Waner, MD, are underway. The database is currently being built as a baseline and follow-up relational database to include 5 years; it already contains over 150 patients. Future plans for the database include using it to examine the epidemiology and response to various treatments of these lesions.

Integrated Educational Programs
HVBC has become a useful resource for parents and families of children with vascular anomalies, as well as a valuable resource for adults with birthmarks, and physicians searching for reference information. Additionally, Dr. Milton Waner, from Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Vascular Anomalies Center, has hosted team members at their center and has provided collaboration by phone with the many specialists he has assembled there. HVBC’s Associate Director, Mark Nagy, MD, undertook advanced training in the form of a 3 month fellowship in the Fall of 1999 with Dr. Waner. Funding is provided by the Pediatric ENT Associates (PENTA).

HVBC also participates in the biannual national program "Hemangioma Hope" conference, educating parents, physicians and other health care providers. Dr. Nagy participated in this event as well as another patient oriented hemangioma conference in North Carolina in September 1999.

Quality Assurance System
With the HVBC being led by Linda Brodsky, MD, who also serves as the Director of the Center for Integrated Outcomes in Healthcare at Children’s Hospital, the quality assurance program is outcomes driven. Using an integrated outcomes approach, clinical, financial and satisfaction outcomes are measured and tracked at the Center, and appropriate improvements/changes in processes are implemented in real time.

On The Forefront of Clinical Advances
We are also collaborating with Arkansas Children’s Hospital (Milton Waner, MD) to delve into the basic science of hemangioma cells in tissue cultures, and the effects of laser treatment on these cells. This information will lead to clinical advances in the diagnosis and treatment of hemangiomas and vascular birthmarks.

Applied and Theoretical Research Involvement
Research plays an ever-increasing role in the program. Members of the team have entered into collaboration with researchers from the University at Buffalo’s Department of Social and Preventative Medicine to study the economic implications of treatment options, as well as patient satisfaction measures.

HVBC has developed a Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation Statewide Registry in collaboration with the Womens and Children’s Health Research Foundation. This database culls information from primary care physicians, specialists, and families of children with these lesions. Patients from all of New York State will be included, and practitioners will be able to enroll children via a website. Data include prenatal, perinatal and family histories, natural history of the lesion(s), additional health information, healthcare and treatment received, and patient response to treatment.