Deb said:
Gayle, as a fellow Minnesotan, I'm sure you're aware of Mayo's mergings
and affiliations with small clinics throughout the country (pending worldwide). Mayo provides their expertise and research information to these clinics via a subscription fee.
And yes, you bet I am aware. I grew up less than 35 miles from the from entrance to the Plumber building in Rochester. I personally never had need of any services at the clinic in all those years. But grandparents, aunt’s, uncles as well as parents, many neighbors and friends were seen there over the years, for a vast assortments of ailments.
It was in many ways a very fortunate place to grow up, -- which was never fully appreciated until learning how many people there are with no such advantage in their ’hood’. As such, I have been something of a front row observer as The Clinic has grown from that small organization of Docs, officed in that one building when I came to know it, --- to something of a world wide powerhouse in the Medical Science, Education, Research and Service. Rochester has not been unfamiliar stomping grounds for me for reasons other than being a patient at the Clinic.
Currently, I am being served very well as, a patient in the GI Department at Mayo Scottsdale.
Mayo Corporation has indeed taken over, (owns and operates), much of the health care market in Southern Minnesota, including some areas in northern Iowa and western Wisconsin. There are of course, the 2 larger satellites in Jacksonville, FL and Phoenix, AZ -- with their outreach networks. Possible affiliations and joint ventures are continually being looked at and evaluated, as the new health care laws are taking shape. All the big Health Care outfits are maneuvering and jockying to do the same, --- .... --- all will not survive.
Does the Clinic serve many people world wide, on a consultancy basis – YOU BET it does …. in many different ways, with many voices, and in may different venues.
The Mayo “outpost” at the MOA has indeed been intriguing to me. Investigating that,
-- up close and personal, -- has been on my ‘bucket list’ of thing to do. But somehow when I have been there, there is just ‘so much to do, so little time to do it’. Thus, -- I have yet to visit that area of the Mall. However, I have heard that they will not be going forward with plans to expand that facility into anything more than just a PR site.
Have you been there?
BTW … That site was originally viewed in the Twin Cities, as Mayo Corp. ‘trying to get a toe-hold in the Twin Cities health care market’.
(i.e. -- Mayo was suspected of instituting turf war activity).
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals ... -disorders
As "transparency" and ratings have now become increasingly important to the public as tools for attempting to try to find their way around in the health care arena, such things as this web-site are becoming increasingly available to the public. This is where my statement regarding the ranking of Mayo GI came from. This has been noted/quoted earlier here by none other than Tex, in regard to some other topics on this chat line. Does this guarantee everyone will be/is equally satisfied with this or that or any institution? Of course not. But these ranking systems try to use statistical methodology by using a numerical scale in attempt to qualify/quantifying outcomes. Supposedly this might to give people an idea of where the best chances
(odds) for treatment in particular areas might be. As I’ve said before here on this chat “God does not live in a bottle at the Mayo Clinic -- or anywhere else for that matter”.
Cheers,
Gayle