Introduction
Health care delivery would not be as efficient as it is now without valuable contributions coming from established experts in the field of medicine. The Mayo Clinic stands as a notable health care institution that has provided some of the most important aspects of modern health care delivery currently in use. Starting from a cause of social concern to provide relief efforts, the Mayo Clinic has emerged as a key player in health care today through its notable innovations and emphasis on the well-being of patients. This study concisely yet comprehensively covers the nature of Mayo Clinic in its enduring importance in the field of integrated health care delivery – touted as among the most effective and efficient ways of serving patients without compromising their financial constraints. A perusal of the available research shows that the Mayo Clinic has significantly contributed to the well-being of health care, not just in the United States (US) but in other nations as well.
Impact on Growth
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has grown to become one of the leading healthcare institutions in the US that specializes in integrated care. Established by Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his son Will, the Mayo Clinic first emerged as part of the relief efforts conducted for a disaster caused by a tornado that struck Rochester. In 1863, Dr. W. W. Mayo became involved in rendering medical duties en masse when he became an examining surgeon for troops in Rochester during the American Civil War. The residence of Dr. W. W. Mayo in Rochester proved instrumental for the eventual formation of the Mayo Clinic, as he settled well in the city amidst warfare. Such goes alongside the consequent formation of the sociopolitical consciousness of Dr. W. W. Mayo that provided him with the motivational drive to agree on the establishment of the Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Dr. W. W. Mayo and his family were among the survivors of a massive tornado that struck Rochester, which led to the deaths of several residents alongside injuries. When relief efforts started in Rochester, Dr. W. W. Mayo and his son Will, already a doctor, began rendering medical assistance to injured patients. The assistance of the Sisters of Saint Francis (SSF) led by Mother Alfred Moes proved indispensable for the eventual formation of the Mayo Clinic, as it has established harmonious working relations with the Mayos. Following the relief efforts, Mother Moes invited the Mayos to help them build a hospital in Rochester to help them in providing medical staff. Such proved to be the springboard for the Mayos to form their first medical institution, Saint Marys Hospital, with them as consulting physicians. Shortly, the Mayos found formidable partnerships with other doctors such as Dr. Augustus Stinchfield and Dr. Henry Plummer, among many others. The Mayos and their fellow doctors soon developed and specialized in integrated group practice in medicine (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Comparison
The Mayo Clinic has explicitly included in its mission statement the emphasis that it holds on providing health care “through integrated clinical practice, education and research”. The primary value of the Mayo Clinic states that “the needs of the patient come first”, while value statements revolve around the values of respect, compassion, integrity, healing, teamwork, excellence, innovation and stewardship (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). The status of the Mayo Clinic as one of the largest medical institutions on integrated care in the world reflects the success it has done in fulfilling its mission and value statements. Attesting to that fact is the 2013 edition of the US News & World Report on the best hospitals in the US, in which the Mayo Clinic has emerged in rank number 3 (Health Hospitals, n.d.). The specialized health care services Mayo Clinic provides has benefited more than one million patients across all US states it has served in various capacities. The fixed-salary system of the Mayo Clinic corresponds to the need to lower down the motivation to cater to as many patients as possible for the sake of income in order to ensure the provision of quality specialized health care. Moreover, the Mayo Clinic has successfully undertaken research and education efforts to focus on its goal to provide high-quality integrated health care, with its notable $500 million-a year investment in those fields as a staggering attestation (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Quality Improvement Initiatives
Well renowned for constantly introducing quality improvement initiatives in the field of integrated health care, Mayo Clinic has long emphasized on the importance of its research and education initiatives. From a small pool of doctors before the 20th century, Mayo Clinic currently has around 400 physicians and researchers in the field of medicine in its employ. Additionally, research appoints comprising of allied health staff and students amounting to nearly 3,000 serve as assistants to physicians and researchers. Research activities of Mayo Clinic have reached around 2,300 in protocol reviews and 8,000 in research studies on human health in 2010, which has led to publications amounting to around 5,000 research publications and reviews (CNN Money, 2011; Health Hospitals, n.d.; Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
The constant drive for quality improvement stems from the fact that Mayo Clinic strives to conduct research through commensurable funding of around $500 million yearly. The same applies to its education programs, which reflects the vision Dr. W. W. Mayo and his sons Will and Charles had. Starting from their $2 million donation for the University of Minnesota to establish its own medical school in 1917, the Mayos successfully stretched their legacy for the Mayo Clinic up to the present times, especially with the establishment of the Mayo Medical School in 1972. More importantly, Mayo Clinic served as an important proponent of the residency system in medical school, which helped students in their studies through further concentration and quality educational incentives (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Impact and Trends on Health Care
Impact on Health Care Delivery
The Mayo Clinic has produced some of the most innovative systems related to health care delivery. Dr. Plummer, known for his contributions in modern practice of medicine, has established some of the key systems that have found use in efficient health care delivery. By implementing a shared system of medical record keeping and an interconnected telephone line system, Dr. Plummer has improved the efficiency of health care through integrating the functions of various personnel. Moreover, Dr. Plummer has noted the importance of establishing several research efforts on making more innovations in integrated health care delivery through the formation of diagnostic laboratories. Furthermore, Mayo Clinic holds the credit for being a proponent of high-quality yet less-costly health care. For instance, Medicare insurance holders who sought services from Mayo Clinic during in their last three years of living have spent an average of only around 50% of the costs of other hospitals and clinics. Mayo Clinic stood as a notable model for affordable health care, to the extent that the US Congress, in 2009, has cited it in numerous health care reform bills. However, Mayo Clinic itself stated that said congressional incentives would not lead to reforms in terms of lowering costs while increasing quality of health care (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Emerging Trends
Technologically, Mayo Clinic also stands at the forefront, given that it has developed the Biomedical Imaging Resource (BIR) for aiding in biomedical imaging studies and operations. The BIR has produced innovations through usage of virtual reality environments, networks and databases of collected images, among many others. The use of digital imaging in current technologically aided practices has led the Mayo Clinic to develop the same mechanisms in the field of health care, especially because health care requires the execution of delicate and precise practices (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
Conclusion
The trends that Mayo Clinic started leave it with greater potential to fulfill more improvements in the field of health care. The valuable contributions Mayo Clinic have provided in the field of health care has made it a highly recognizable institution among experts in the field of medicine. With further improvements set to unfold in the future through technological improvements, Mayo Clinic stands to benefit from its emphasis on research and diagnostic experimentation. Moreover, the state of health care improvement would not face any form of decline as long as institutions like Mayo Clinic continue to invest on medical education and research. With staggering investment figures attributed to Mayo Clinic, it is hard to foresee a difficult future for health care due to the availability of funds and the sheer motivation of well-rounded medical experts to conduct studies through research and experimentation.
References
CNN Money. (2011). 100 best companies to work for – 61. Mayo Clinic. In CNN-Fortune. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/61.html.
Health Hospitals. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. In US News & World Report – Health Hospitals. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/mn/mayo-clinic-661MAYO.
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic facts - 2012. In Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/about/facts.html
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic history. In Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/history/.
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic mission and values. In Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 3, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/about/missionvalues.html.
