Methodist joins with Mayo Clinic Care Network to improve delivery of health care quality

Mayo Clinic and Methodist Health System (Methodist) officials announced today that Methodist has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Methodist, one of North Texas' oldest nonprofit health systems, was selected following a comprehensive evaluation that ranged from its clinical and business practices to quality, safety and service efforts and patient satisfaction.

Mayo Clinic and Methodist share a common philosophy and commitment to improve the delivery of health care through high-quality, collaborative medical care.

"Methodist is home to some of the most accomplished and preeminent physicians in the Southwest," says Stephen Mansfield, Ph.D., FACHE, president and CEO, Methodist Health System. "Working with Mayo Clinic through the Mayo Clinic Care Network will be accretive for Methodist physicians and will afford access to world-class Mayo Clinic specialization for patients treated at Methodist Health System."

The Mayo Clinic Care Network extends Mayo Clinic's knowledge to physicians and providers interested in working together in the best interest of their patients. Methodist physicians will now be able to collaborate with Mayo Clinic on patient care, community health and innovative health care delivery. Using digital technology to consult and share knowledge, these physicians will have access to the latest evidence-based medical information and will connect with Mayo specialists on questions related to complex medical cases.

"The Mayo Clinic Care Network is about strengthening existing relationships with high-quality, like-minded health care institutions for the benefit of our patients," says David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network. "Our colleagues at Methodist are well-known for their excellent patient care in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We are proud to welcome them to the network and look forward to continued collaboration."

The Mayo Clinic Care Network members have a close working relationship with Mayo Clinic and access to tools and services that promote collaboration and serve to complement provider expertise, including:

• eConsults to allow network physicians to connect electronically with Mayo Clinic specialists when they want additional input regarding a patient's care.
• AskMayoExpert to provide point-of-care 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 Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other members of the network.

In addition to health care provider-focused tools, Methodist also will have access to Mayo Clinic Health Care Consulting, a service that allows members to learn how Mayo operates and how its clinical care and practice are designed and implemented.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Methodist to collaborate with Mayo Clinic to enhance patient care," says Sam Bagchi, M.D., vice president, chief medical informatics officer and chief quality officer, Methodist Health System. "The addition of Mayo Clinic Care Network resources provides a unique opportunity to align our core values of innovation and quality so that Methodist patients gain the benefits of Mayo Clinic expertise while they continue to receive their care as close to home as possible."

The Mayo Clinic Care Network represents nonownership relationships between Mayo Clinic and network members. The network, which began in 2011, now has 31 members that extend to 17 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Mexico.