Michiana patients and doctors celebrated at the Lerner Theatre Thursday morning. Officials from Beacon Health System and the Mayo Clinic gathered to announce that Beacon has been selected as the first medical organization in the state of Indiana to join the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network.

There are 35 healthcare organizations across the country and in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Singapore in the network.

And now, Beacon will be able to tap into the Mayo Clinic's resources to provide enhanced patient care.

Features of the network include:

• eConsults so Beacon physicians can connect electronically with Mayo specialists for additional input on patient care
• AskMayoExpert database with point-of-care, Mayo-vetted information on disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials
• Healthcare consulting about Mayo’s clinical, operational and business models
• eTumor Board conferences so Beacon physicians can consult with Mayo specialists on complex cancer cases

“This collaboration with Mayo Clinic provides our local physician and clinical providers with world-class knowledge and support. We are excited to help bring this resource to northern Indiana and southwest Michigan,” said Kreg Gruber, Chief Operating Officer of Beacon Health System.

Dr. Thomas Reid, Medical Director of Memorial Regional Cancer Center, is excited about the impact the eConsults feature is having on one of his patients.

“I have a 27-year-old with advanced pancreas cancer. We submitted an e-consult – electronic consult directly to the Mayo Clinic and it went very smoothly from the time that I submitted it to the time that I got a response back; including the review of the pathology specimens, it was 2 days,” says Dr. Reid.

Dr. Mark Larson, gastroenterology consultant and Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Care Network says he’s ready for the storied legacy of the Mayo Clinic to be carried on through this new program.

“The Mayo Clinic has always been in the business of sharing medical knowledge. So, for over 150 years this has been one of the cornerstones of our culture,” says Dr. Larson.

Dr. William Mayo, who earned his first degree from the Indiana Medical College in La Porte, opened a practice with his wife in Rochester, Minnesota and mortgaged his house to buy a microscope when he realized he needed it to deliver the best patient care.

Dr. Larson says that tradition of going the extra mile carries on today.