Wakefield, R.I.-based South County Health has become the first healthcare organization in Rhode Island to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
The network is a group of independent organizations vetted by Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and granted access to its resources, according to an Oct. 2 news release from the health system. Members remain independent and responsible for their own operations and patient care.
South County Health clinicians will have access to AskMayoExpert, a clinical information resource; eConsults, which connect them directly with Mayo Clinic specialists on complex cases; eBoards, or multidisciplinary case reviews with Mayo Clinic experts and other members; and Mayo Clinic Platform’s digital and AI-enabled clinical tools, the release said. Consultations come at no additional cost to patients.
“Becoming a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network brings together the best of both worlds: trusted local care and the knowledge, expertise, and resources of one of the world’s leading healthcare organizations, while preserving the personalized, community-based care that has always been at the heart of South County Health,” President and CEO Aaron Robinson said in the release.
Mr. Robinson said many independent systems have had to give up independence to gain the scale and expertise needed to compete, and that the membership reflects an alternative approach.
Founded in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network includes more than 50 member organizations representing 80 hospitals and nearly 20,000 physicians. South County Health is a nonprofit system with a 100-bed hospital and six ambulatory locations.
