EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — University Medical Center of El Paso is marking a major milestone in epilepsy care after earning a Level 4 Epilepsy Accreditation, a designation that now allows the hospital to perform surgeries to treat epilepsy.
UMC said it is “the only, highest rated (Level 4) Accredited Epilepsy Center in El Paso.” The hospital previously held Level 3 status, which allowed it to provide advanced diagnosis and monitoring of epilepsy.
With the new Level 4 accreditation, UMC can now perform complex epilepsy surgeries, as the hospital noted that 30% of epilepsy cases are not cured by medications alone.
Medical professionals at UMC said the new designation expands opportunities for both staff and patients.
Sushma Yerram, an assistant professor and epilepsy program director with UMC, said, “Before this, patients had to travel to the big cities like San Antonio or Austin or Albuquerque to get these services.”
Yerram added, “And now we have more dedicated epilepsy surgeons who are doing more consistent epilepsy surgeries.”
The hospital announced the accreditation on Friday and has since performed one epilepsy-related surgery, with another surgery scheduled for this afternoon.
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