“Our participation in the Mayo Clinic Care Network will enrich the level of care we provide through collaboration and innovation,” said Robert Jansen, M.D., executive vice president, WellStar Medical Group President & Chief Administrative Medical Officer. “This collaboration offers our physicians a new resource to ensure the kind of leading care patients have grown to expect from WellStar.”
Through their WellStar physicians, patients will have access to the Mayo Clinic’s expertise in all specialties, while continuing to receive close-to-home healthcare at WellStar.
WellStar staff will now be able to access Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise using a variety of electronic tools and services and connect directly with Mayo Clinic experts on complex diagnosis and treatment plans.
All WellStar Medical Staff, nurses and other clinicians will have round-the-clock access to Mayo-vetted medical information and guidelines through AskMayoExpert, a web-based provider resource available through eSource (or www.mayoclinic.org with a member login).
Specialists in the WellStar Independent Physician Association can request a consultation through WellStar Connect or via paper order process. Physicians can usually complete a consultation request in two minutes – eConsult is convenient and easy to use. Providers will log on to Epic and click on Mayo eConsult; they will indicate discipline, subspecialty and tests performed.
For providers not yet utilizing WellStar Connect, physicians will complete the Mayo eConsult paper order and submit along with supporting documentation and tests to Lori Heilman, our eConsult coordinator, who will assist physicians in submitting all appropriate information to Mayo. The consulting Mayo physicians usually respond with feedback in two business days.
Quick reference guides, providing step-by-step instructions for accessing AskMayoExpert and for submitting an eConsult, can be found on eSource by clicking the Mayo Clinic Care Network icon from the home page.
“We don’t want to interfere with physicians’ current relationships with colleagues and mentors at other systems,” said David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network. “We want to offer another convenient option. The electronic consultation gets to a granular level – with ready access to the patient information, it can be more complete, quicker and easier.”
According to Dr. Hayes, the most popular requests are in the specialty areas of oncology, neurology and cardiology.
“We want to support WellStar providers when they are dealing with rare diagnoses, have uncertainties or need validation,” said Dr. Hayes. “We also hope they will utilize our expertise when patients request second opinions.”
Joseph Hormes, M.D., co-chief of WellStar’s Neurosciences service line, said he “can’t wait” to begin using the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
“I trained there and already make one or two calls a month to Mayo colleagues. They do a great job. I’m excited all our physicians will have access to the experts at Mayo.”
Patients are not charged for the additional input and patient care remains at WellStar; WellStar physicians are not required to send their patients to Mayo Clinic.
“Working together, we can ensure patients have access to the finest medical knowledge available while staying closer to home,” said Stephen Lange, M.D., southeast medical director of Mayo Clinic Care Network.
“Mayo believes healthcare is best when regional providers are strong and independent, like WellStar,” added Hayes. “Our network was formed to support regional providers so they can best serve their patients and families.”
WellStar is the largest health system in the Southeast and only one in Metro Atlanta to be selected as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The network, which began in 2011, has 23 member organizations throughout the continental U.S., one in Mexico City and one in Puerto Rico.
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