An international heart center expected to open in Shanghai in late 2015 will explore the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases while seeking to meet the specific needs of Chinese patients.

Earlier this month, the private healthcare service provider DeltaHealth reached an agreement with Columbia University's Division of Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology, and Columbia HeartSource to develop a heart center in Shanghai, the first of its kind in the city.

Columbia University Medical Center in New York is one of the world's leading medical institutions in cardiology and heart surgery and was ranked as one of the top three hospitals in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News and World Report in 2014.

"We want to support China's desire to improve private healthcare by playing a cooperative role in bringing together the best domestic and international resources in cardiovascular care to truly deliver a world-class, patient-focused heart hospital in China," said Daniel Auerbach, chairman of the Board of DeltaHealth.

"The collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center and its top cardiovascular team will allow us to fully access and leverage the world's best in cardiovascular healthcare to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and end-to-end care for our patients in China," he said.

Professionals from the Columbia University Heart Team will provide consultation and advice on developing high-quality clinical guidance and protocols, as well as physician and medical staff training and education in innovative cardiovascular procedures and patient care, for a new level of medical excellence and patient care.

"In partnership with DeltaHealth's executive leadership and prestigious medical advisory panel of key physician leaders in China, we will be leveraging the cumulative expertise in a collaborative effort to pioneer new international standards in cardiovascular care for China," said professor Craig Smith, MD and chairman of the Columbia University Department of Surgery.

The 2013 China Cardiovascular Disease Report said that one in every five Chinese adults suffers from cardiovascular disease, while many others remain undiagnosed. It is a leading cause of 3.5 million deaths a year in China.

Despite steady improvements made by the local medical community, the rising incidence, morbidity and mortality rates of cardiovascular diseases have not been effectively contained.

Many serious challenges, such as inadequate preventative and risk management oversight, outdated integrated disease management models, uneven distribution and simply the scarcity of quality medical resources still exist, experts said.

"Proactive prevention and control and all-around patient-centric care are the ultimate goals in the development of cardiac medical care," said Professor Ge Junbo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is also the chief adviser to the Medical Advisory Panel (MAP) at DeltaHealth.

"The collaboration in developing the heart center will help explore an effective way of early intervention and assessment of medical outcomes that is unique to China."

The MAP is led by China's top physicians in cardiovascular surgery and cardiology and seeks to provide critical domestic resources needed to develop a cardiovascular healthcare program tailored for China.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn