The new Neuroscience Institute at Overlake Hospital opened on Oct. 24 during the medical center’s annual Eastside Vitality Health Fair.

The Institute combines the Overlake neurology and neurosurgery clinics in a new 7,000-square-foot space. The team of doctors will address health issues around the brain, spine and neurological system, and treat everything from brain aneurysms to spinal problems to migraines.

With the combination of the clinics and the soon-to-be-completed imaging center, patients will be able to see  neurologists, get any imaging done and undergo surgery in one space. Prior to this, patients would have to go to multiple offices or buildings within Overlake Medical Center, or be referred to other hospitals entirely.

Overlake’s Neuroscience Institute is part of an effort by the hospital to compete in arenas for which they are less known.

The medical center is highly ranked in areas such as total knee replacements and hip replacements, as shown in a report released by Healthgrades on Oct. 20 identifying specialty centers with the lowest complication and mortality rates. Healthgrades compiled and released the information for the first time this year after finding that one in six individuals nationally are not getting care at hospitals that offer the best outcomes.

Overlake Hospital received “as expected” and “better than expected” performance rankings in cranial neurology and stroke treatment from Healthgrades, but ranked below Harborview Medical Center. “Not all hospitals do well at everything,” said Archelle Georgiou, senior clinical advisor for Healthgrades.

The Neuroscience Institute has been in the works for three years and is part of the hospital’s work to become not only the neurology leading resource on the Eastside, but also compete with the services and research conducted in Seattle.

Dr. Abhineet Chowdhary, who serves as the institute’s medical director, was recruited to lead the institute from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “All of the advanced neurological care has been sent downtown, so our goal was to, one, get the capabilities of what you can get downtown out here. … The second part was to also be cutting edge and conduct research, clinical trials and be the resource for the next step – thinking not just about what we can do today, but what we can do tomorrow and to be on the forefront,” he said.

Chowdhary and neurosurgeon Dr. Frank Bishop, who specializes in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, lead various clinical trials with the potential to provide patients with access to new therapies before they become widely available.

Their team currently has 11 trials in the works relating to strokes, aneurysms and other ailments.  They are joined by neurological specialist Dr. Olav Jaren.

Overlake Medical Center also will be making changes to its cancer center in order to compete with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. It also will benefit Eastside residents, who won’t have to head across the lake for top-quality treatment, said Overlake Hospital spokesperson Kipepeo Brown.

Allison DeAngelis: 425-453-4290; adeangelis@bellevuereporter.com