IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa and two Des Moines-area health care groups are forming a new organization to improve and coordinate care for patients with liver disease.

The university said Friday the Iowa Liver Center will be a partnership between its Organ Transplant Center, the Iowa Digestive Disease Center in Clive and Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines and its affiliates.

The center will offer diagnostic, treatment and support services for people with diseases of the liver in central and western Iowa. University officials say it will bring together leading digestive disease physicians, transplant surgeons and others to manage care, with a goal of improving quality and efficiency. The partnership allows the groups to share clinical data.

UI professor Alan Reed says the center should provide a better experience for patients.