Digital Consultations with Mayo Clinic Increases Access to Advanced Health Care in Topeka

Through Stormont Vail Health, Topeka and surrounding communities have increased access to advanced care, allowing for advanced diagnosis and treatment, reducing the cost of care, helping to improve patient outcomes and, most importantly, keeping patients close to home. The media are invited to an interview session at 9 a.m. on May 1, 2017, in the Auditorium of the Pozez Education Center, located within Stormont Vail Hospital, where officials from Mayo Clinic and Stormont Vail Health will be on site to talk about how digital consultations, also called eConsults, have changed local care since Stormont Vail Health joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network in April 2014.

As part of the network, Stormont Vail physicians can collaborate with Mayo experts through eConsults and through access to the Mayo Clinic’s online repository of disease management information and evidence-based treatment recommendations. By embracing collaboration through technology, Stormont Vail Health and Mayo Clinic are ensuring that patients with complex conditions have access to trusted teamwork and expertise − all while staying close to home, and at no additional cost to the patient.

Stormont Vail Health President and Chief Executive Officer Randy Peterson cited eConsults between Stormont Vail and Mayo Clinic physicians and leadership as the foremost accomplishment of the membership since starting the collaboration.

“I am pleased to report that our physicians have completed 546 eConsults for patients since our first year,” said Peterson. “That means 546 times our physicians were able to consult with Mayo specialists as they work to ensure the best diagnosis and treatment options are found for our patients, while keeping their care close to home,” said Peterson.

“As technology expands and we find global opportunities to treat patients, it is important not to lose sight that patients do best with support systems around them, and with familiar environments and routines in place. Both Stormont Vail and Mayo Clinic share a commitment that health care should be provided close to home whenever possible.”

Also available through the Mayo Clinic Care Network is AskMayoExpert. This online resource tool delivers Mayo Clinic physician-vetted medical knowledge and puts answers to common clinical questions into the hands of Stormont Vail Health providers. AskMayoExpert and eConsults are two of several professional services that Stormont Vail Health providers have access to through this collaborative relationship with Mayo Clinic.

About Stormont Vail Health:

Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health care system that has been serving the health care needs of northeast Kansas for more than 130 years. It is comprised of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O’Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 250 physicians. More than 4,800 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 27 other locations, including the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and multiple regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by providing high quality, compassionate care with state-of-the-art equipment in convenient, comfortable facilities for patients and families.