A new partnership ensures some of the nation’s best medical minds are working together to provide local patients with the best care close to home.
When it comes to healthcare organizations, the Mayo Clinic name is well-known and well-respected throughout the world. On April 19th, Mayo Clinic announced that OSF HealthCare passed its rigorous review process to become the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. This will have an immediate and long-term effect on healthcare for all of central Illinois.
The Sisters have never been afraid of taking risks, exploring innovations, and leading-edge advances. The strong, yet humble faith the original Sisters began 137 years ago remains the guiding force for the OSF HealthCare organization. Of course, the Mayo Clinic has also been the site of many, many firsts in healthcare. That is just one of the reasons why the relationship between OSF and the Mayo Clinic Care Network is so exciting… and such a great fit.
A True Partnership
The Mayo Clinic Care Network extends Mayo Clinic’s knowledge and expertise to physicians and providers interested in working together in the best interest of their patients. According to Dr. Kathleen Forbes, chief clinical officer for OSF Healthcare System, “The collaborative relationship between OSF HealthCare and Mayo Clinic is designed to be a long-lasting one. By working together over time, OSF and Mayo Clinic hope to build new and innovative ways to provide the best possible care to patients and their families.”
The Mayo Clinic Care Network gives OSF physicians the ability to quickly collaborate with Mayo specialists when they believe it will be helpful. They can review a patient’s condition and compare diagnoses and treatment options, potentially saving the need to travel great distances for complicated care options.
A Toolkit for Healthcare
Among the new resources available through the partnership are eConsults and AskMayoExpert.
- eConsults provide a fast, digital connection between area physicians and a Mayo specialist, so they can consult together on the patient’s behalf.
- AskMayoExpert provides local physicians and care teams access to Mayo Clinic resources that cover disease management, care guidelines and treatment recommendations for a variety of conditions.
These tools, in addition to healthcare consulting, will help OSF continue to provide the best care for its patients, as well as improve its systems and the health of the community and region. The primary goal is to help people gain the benefits of Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise close to home, ensuring that patients need to travel for care only when necessary.
As a part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, OSF HealthCare experts will do everything possible to diagnose and treat complex medical diagnoses locally. Should the patient and care team determine a visit to Mayo Clinic is necessary, the close network relationship can help ensure care is coordinated before, during and after a visit. Even if a patient has previously visited Mayo, ongoing treatments can be coordinated close to home.
Working Together to Serve
“I am very excited,” says Keith Steffen, CEO and president of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. “This is an opportunity for our talented physicians and academicians at UICOMP to be able to work and coordinate care with the Mayo physicians for the very best outcomes for our patients.”
OSF HealthCare’s membership in the Mayo Clinic Care Network gives families in central Illinois the security of knowing that some of the best medical minds in the nation are working together, and it allows patients to continue to receive the best care close to home.
Healthcare is changing—and OSF continues to be in the forefront of those changes. To learn more, visit osfhealthcare.org/mayo. iBi
