Networking helps spread Mayo brand

Medical centers around the country are signing up for partnership arrangements that also promote the Mayo name. The Rochester-based hospital system has spent the past year forming alliances with a select group of hospitals, an arrangement that gives doctors online access to Mayo's clinicians as well as a way to promote a partnership with one of the world's premier medical brands. Patients benefit from Mayo's medical expertise without the expense and disruption of travel. Mayo broadens its reach at a time when health reform efforts are touching off waves of consolidation. The trend has been underway for years as a way to buttress the rising costs of care. Hospitals in the Mayo Clinic Care Network pay an undisclosed subscription fee for online consultations and for access into Mayo Clinic's research.