http://www.pnj.com/article/20130720/NEWS01/307200010/Baptist-joins-Mayo-Clinic-network?nclick_check=1Per the Pensacola News Journal:
Baptist joins Mayo Clinic networkOne of the Pensacola-area’s largest private employers is teaming up with one of the world’s leaders in medical care.
Baptist Health Care unveiled a new collaboration with the Mayo Clinic on Friday at a news conference at Baptist Hospital.
The new relationship connects Baptist Health Care physicians and their patients with Mayo Clinic resources and specialists on questions of diagnosis, therapy and care management.
“We have a high level of care that our patients expect from us, and we’ve delivered on that,” Baptist Hospital President David Wildebrandt said. “Now, on top of that local level service and commitment to have the Mayo Clinic level of expertise brought to Pensacola — I think about it personally, for my family, for my friends — they’ll have the top vetted out medical knowledge that’s available.”
During the news conference, Baptist Health Care CEO and President Mark Faulkner was presented with a commemorative crystal from Dr. Stephen Lange, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Southeast to mark the occasion.
“This collaboration is another demonstration of our commitment to bring the best care to our patients and our community,” Faulkner said.
Baptist will be the first health care system in the Southeast to become part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Faulkner said.
Lange said Baptist’s national reputation in care and service complements the Mayo Clinic’s commitment to improve health care delivery.
“We’ve known Baptist over many years in Florida from referral patients. We know their leadership team over many years so there was an established relationship,” he said.
Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned nonprofit leader in medical care, research and education. Every year, more than a million people from all 50 states and nearly 150 countries come to Mayo Clinic for care. The network now has 19 members across 10 states, Lange said.
“We really identified premier providers in the regions and engaged in conversations,” he said.
This is not an acquisition or merger, Lange said.
Dr. James Lonquist, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Baptist, said the partnership provides instant access to a database of experts at Mayo Clinic.
“We will now have access to the world-class experts that the Mayo Clinic has to offer,” he said.
