Elsevier Launches First Virtualized Medical Institution on PracticeUpdate

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

In collaboration with West Cancer Center at University of Tennessee, the comprehensive Center of Excellence for medical oncologists focuses on renal cell carcinoma 

Elsevier, the world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, recently announced the launch of the first virtual Center of Excellence focused on a single disease, renal cell carcinoma. The knowledge-sharing site for physicians was created by PracticeUpdate, Elsevier's physician portal, in partnership with The West Cancer Center at the University of Tennessee. The Renal Cell Carcinoma Center of Excellence allows community physicians to exchange information and case specifics with The West Cancer Center's renowned oncologists.

"As part of PracticeUpdate's mission to provide healthcare professionals with the latest expert curated insights based on the clinician's area of practice, the virtual Center of Excellence enables us to add a layer of services from our site to practicing community oncologists that adds enormous value," said Lee Schwartzberg, MD, Editor-in-Chief of PracticeUpdate Oncology, Elsevier.

"The ability to exchange information and share insights regarding patient cases with other oncologists in a secure online forum can be very beneficial in supporting improvements in patient care," said Aman Shah, MD, Executive Publisher. "This concept is new to the industry and is designed to replicate many of the benefits of being part of an academic medical center for the community oncologist."

The Center of Excellence allows each physician using the site to work alongside faculty and staff of The West Cancer Center, regardless of location. The experts at the Center of Excellence meet weekly to identify and provide context to the most important developments in renal cell carcinoma from more than 120 journals. Registered PracticeUpdate physician members have access to research materials, lectures, pathology images, weekly reviews of new research and current guidelines, as well as internationally renowned experts who can provide clarification and insights on case-specific situations.

"The virtualization of this community enables physicians practicing in any type of facility - whether it's a rural community clinic or a large teaching hospital - to take on challenging patient cases and share with and receive feedback from a vast network of experts and resources at a major cancer center," said Bradley Somer, MD, Editor-in-Chief. "This provides significant benefits to the patients as well. The collaboration that will occur within this community assures that the current standard of care is upheld across facilities."

For more information on the PracticeUpdate Virtual Clinical Center of Excellence in renal cell carcinoma, please visit rcc.practiceupdate.com.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is the world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes nearly 2,200 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and over 25,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works.

The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Christopher Capot
Director, Corporate Relations
Elsevier
+1-212-633-3164
c.capot@elsevier.com