AIG Hospitals becomes first Indian hospital to join Mayo Clinic Care Network

AIG Hospitals has become the first Indian healthcare facility to join the US-based Mayo Clinic Care Network, a leading non-profit academic medical centre. The American medical centre is a group of carefully vetted and independent healthcare organisations that have special access to Mayo Clinic's knowledge and expertise.

"AIG joining this network means physicians from AIG Hospitals will be able to combine their understanding of patients' medical needs with Mayo Clinic expertise," says Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy, chairman and managing director, AIG Hospitals. He points out that it was an 18-month long process with several consultants and exchange visits. Dr Reddy sees this collaboration as a giant leap forward in empowering patients and physicians to access international clinical expertise and cutting-edge medical knowledge for superior clinical outcomes. "There is no added cost to the patients," he clarifies.

So, how will the membership become viable for Mayo? Dr David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network, says, "Our relationship with members is through an annual subscription that is based on the fair market value of what we deliver. That is how it remains viable," he says. However, he did not share details of the subscription amount."

AIG is the ninth such international healthcare entity to be its member. On the yardsticks for selection as a member, Dr Hayes says, "It is about joining with other high-quality, data driven and evidence-based organisations that are philosophically and culturally similar to Mayo clinic, that is, are patient-centric organisations."

AIG Hospitals is a unit of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, one of India's leading gastroenterology hospitals. Spread across 1.7 million square feet with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, AIG Hospitals is one of the largest hospitals in India today, serving over 600,000 patients annually. Tertiary care services include organ transplantation, oncology, cardiology, nephrology,  urology, obesity and metabolic therapy, pulmonology, liver sciences and hepatology.  Mayo Clinic developed world's first integrated multi-specialty group practice more than 150 years ago. Today, Mayo Clinic is the largest non-profit group practice in the world, serving about 1.3 million patients annually.

A note issued along with the announcement says that as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, AIG Hospitals will have access to the following:

AskMayoExpert

This point-of-care tool offers concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions and includes medical protocols, treatment recommendations and medical references. This tool can be used wherever healthcare is provided.

eConsults

This enables AIG Hospitals' physicians to contact Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinion on specific patient cases when they believe additional input will benefit their patients.

eBoards

The live video conferences enable AIG Hospitals' medical teams to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic panel and other doctors within the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Healthcare consulting

AIG Hospitals can access Mayo's extensive experience, knowledge and sub-specialty expertise to attain clinical, operational and business goals.

In addition, the staff from AIG Hospitals can also use educational materials designed for patients and access opportunities for professional development and continuous medical education.

Established in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 40 member organisations across the world.