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.
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.