Virginia Hospital Center joins Mayo Clinic Care Network

Mayo Clinic and Virginia Hospital Center today announced Virginia Hospital Center as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a national network of organizations committed to better serving patients and their families through collaboration. Members of the network have access to Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise to give their patients additional peace of mind when making health care decisions while continuing to offer the highest quality and value of care close to home.

"Our collaboration with Mayo Clinic is a high honor for the physicians and staff of Virginia Hospital Center," says James Cole, president & CEO, Virginia Hospital Center. "As the only Mayo Clinic Care Network hospital in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with this relationship, we are excited to explore its potential for our patients and the community and advance our mission 'To Be the Best Health System.'"

"We began the network because Mayo Clinic wanted to work with those who saw collaboration as the way to better meet patients' needs. It was clear to us from the outset that the doctors, nurses and entire staff at Virginia Hospital Center are committed to providing quality, patient-centered care, and that the organization would be a great addition to the Mayo Clinic Care Network," says David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network.

As a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Virginia Hospital Center will work with Mayo to share medical knowledge and collaborate in ways that will benefit patients and the community. Network tools and services include:

• eConsults to allow Virginia Hospital Center physicians to connect electronically with Mayo specialists and subspecialists when they want additional input regarding a patient's care.
• AskMayoExpert to provide Virginia Hospital Center with point-of-care medical information compiled by Mayo physicians on disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations, and reference materials for a wide variety of medical conditions.
• eTumor Board Conferences to allow physicians to present and discuss management of complex cancer cases with a multidisciplinary panel of Mayo Clinic specialists and other members of the network.

Through the network, Virginia Hospital Center providers will also have the opportunity to consult with Mayo Clinic on operational and business processes, access Mayo's extensive library of patient education materials and view archived grand rounds that feature presentations by Mayo physicians and scientists.