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Dartmouth-Hitchcock Joins Mayo Clinic Care Network

 |  By Margaret@example.com  
   July 30, 2012

The Mayo Clinic announced on Friday that it has added a seventh member to it Mayo Clinic Care Network: The Dartmouth-Hitchcock healthcare system, which is known for its research into patient-centered healthcare.

 

Dartmouth-Hitchcock includes an academic medical center affiliated with Dartmouth College, an extensive clinic system, a children's hospital and a cancer center. It primarily serves northern New England.

The MCCN was created last year as part of a strategic effort by Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic to extend its brand and expertise without incurring the cost of new facilities or acquiring other hospitals. The addition of the New Hampshire-based health system mark's the network's first addition outside of the Mayo Clinic's core, mid-western market.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock, like the other hospitals in the network, will remain independent and maintain its own name.

As part of the MCCN, Dartmouth-Hitchcock will have access to Mayo's clinical expertise and clinical tools, as well as electronic physician consultations. David Hayes, MD, medical director for the network, told HealthLeaders Media that the initial focus will be cardiology and neurology services with the expectation that more disciplines will be added to the program over time.

 

Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Mayo Clinic have several ongoing relationships. They have worked together on research projects and both are part of the High Value Healthcare Collaborative, which is a program developed by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice for health systems to share best practices and outcomes data. Those relationships will remain outside the MCCN agreement.

Hayes said the MCCN program is in expansion mode although at this time it has no particular goal for membership. "It really depends on how the project is going and the size of the organizations" that might want to join. He says Mayo is talking to a number of systems the size and sophistication of Dartmouth-Hitchcock but smaller groups are also interested.

In expanding the MCCN membership, Hayes stressed that the Mayo Clinic is looking for "like-minded facilities that share its culture and patient focus." Hayes said Mayo initially expected to develop MCCNs only around its Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota campuses, but Dartmouth-Hitchcock is "such a great cultural fit for us."

 

The initial MCCN contract is a one-year, renewable agreement. Membership is paid on a subscription basis that considers a number of factors such as the amount of physician engagement and the size of the organization.

In addition to Dartmouth Hitchcock the other MCCN affiliates are: Altru Health System (North Dakota and Minnesota), Arizona State University Health Services (Arizona), Kingman Regional Medical Center (Arizona), Heartland Health (Missouri), Sparrow Health System (Michigan), and CentraCare Coburn Cancer Center (Minnesota).

Margaret Dick Tocknell is a reporter/editor with HealthLeaders Media.
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