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ThedaCare, Mayo Clinic Announce Collaboration
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APPLETON, Wis. — Sept. 17, 2013 — ThedaCare today announced it is the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, giving ThedaCare specialist physicians direct access to Mayo Clinic experts and clinical resources, including eConsults and AskMayoExpert. These tools, among others, will enhance the support available to manage complex patient care. ThedaCare is the first member located in the state of Wisconsin.
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Bill Fletcher, M.D., ThedaCare cardiologist and physician champion for the collaboration, sees many benefits to membership in the network.
"My colleagues and I provide excellent care here in the Fox Valley, but sometimes we are challenged with complex cases that could benefit from additional expertise," he says. "This network puts us in direct contact with peers, specialists and researchers at Mayo Clinic. They can review our diagnosis and offer us advice. Our patients can stay at home and receive care locally with even greater peace of mind, knowing that our physicians are working together on their behalf. Of course, they will also save the added cost and inconvenience of traveling out of the area unless that is really needed."
ThedaCare-aligned specialists will now be able to initiate an electronic consultation with Mayo Clinic, allowing thorough and accurate communications — all at no additional cost to the patient. Further, the specialists as well as primary care physicians also have access to AskMayoExpert, an online medical resource created by Mayo physicians to help with diagnosing complex medical conditions and care planning.
"Through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Mayo Clinic is able to develop broader and stronger relationships with culturally like-minded organizations like ThedaCare," says David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network. "By working together, sharing our expertise, more people in more places can benefit from the specialty knowledge and expertise that are hallmarks of Mayo Clinic. We welcome the caregivers of ThedaCare to this exceptional collaborative network."
"Our mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve," says Dean Gruner, M.D., president and CEO, ThedaCare. "ThedaCare already partners with some of the best specialists in the state. Now, these same specialists will be able to electronically consult with Mayo specialists about complicated cases. This should benefit the patients of the ThedaCare Physicians. It will allow us to provide the perspective of another respected health care system, and this consult is free to a ThedaCare patient and can be delivered within a couple of business days."
The Mayo Clinic Care Network strengthens a long-standing relationship between ThedaCare and Mayo Clinic. For example, ThedaCare has worked closely with Mayo Medical Laboratories for over 15 years to deliver cost-effective, high-quality patient care through laboratory and clinical collaboration.
The Mayo Clinic Care Network represents non-ownership relationships with Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. Members share a commitment to improve the quality and delivery of health care. Mayo Clinic established the network in 2011 to extend knowledge and expertise to physicians and providers interested in working together to benefit patients and enhance the delivery of health care at the local level. The network has member organizations in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico in the United States, and in Mexico.
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About ThedaCare
ThedaCare is a community health system consisting of five hospitals in northeast Wisconsin, and 22 ThedaCare Physicians clinics, ThedaCare Behavioral Health, ThedaCare At Work, ThedaCare At Home, and Heritage Peabody Community, providing care for more than 250,000 people. ThedaCare is the third largest health care employer in Wisconsin and is one of the largest employers in northeast Wisconsin with more than 6,100 employees.
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About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bryan Anderson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu
