SEARCY – A patient who has been diagnosed with cancer obviously wants the best available treatment in the United States regardless of where they live. Due to an innovative telemedicine collaboration between Unity Health and the Mayo Clinic Care Network, patients in Northeast and Central Arkansas can now get help from oncologists and other specialists at one of the most renowned healthcare systems in the country. “The collaboration provides an advantage to both the patient and the physician,” said Ryan Koch, D.O., an oncologist with Unity Health. “Sometimes it is difficult living in a rural area to travel to large cancer centers to see an oncologist who might specialize in a certain type of cancer. The patient benefits by having a consultation with a respected oncologist who specializes in managing their particular type of cancer. And yet they maintain a close relationship with their local oncologist where they can be treated near their hometown.”

The e-consultation with Mayo Clinic is used to determine or confirm a course of action which could prevent critically ill patients having the stress and expense of traveling to specialists out of town. Unity doctors can share test results or preliminary diagnostic info, and have a Mayo specialist review and recommend the next step. The program gives patients at Unity Health access to the latest Mayo Clinic knowledge and promotes collaboration among physicians to benefit patients.

“Our membership in the Mayo Clinic Care Network is the result of our shared commitment with Mayo Clinic to improve the delivery of healthcare through high-quality, evidence-based medical care and treatment,” said John Henderson, MD, chief medical officer, Unity Health. “Although some patients will still need to travel to Mayo Clinic for specialty care not available in our community, by sharing medical expertise through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, we hope to provide most patients with the ability to stay close to home for care whenever possible.”

Ryan Uitti, MD, medical director, Southeast Region, Mayo Clinic Care Network, said patient-centered care is the foundation of the collaboration. “We are eager to work toward our common goal of improving the delivery of healthcare for our patients,” Uitti said.

For the physician, the amount of information available to an oncologist makes it a challenge to keep up with recent advancements.

“Sometimes literature will be published and an oncologist might not be comfortable applying this information to their patients without consultation with a specialist in this particular area,” Koch said. “Furthermore, some patients may come in with unusual situations or unusual cancers. A consultation with a specialist has been valuable whether it simply gives reassurance in the chosen therapy, or whether it provides additional information to treat with newer medications.”

Koch said the consultations are valuable even if they don’t change the plan of treatment.

“Most of the time the management does not change, but the reassurance is invaluable to both the patient and the physician,” Koch said. “Knowing that the management in the patient's hometown is the same as management if they were to travel to a large cancer center provides comfort and establishes confidence for all involved.”

Koch said one particular consultation did affect the management. The patient was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of cancer and standard of care chemotherapy was considered.

“But I had a question whether a more intensified regimen would be appropriate,” Koch said. “Recommendations were to proceed with further analysis on the tumor. This provided data that the tumor was even more aggressive and the intensity of the chemotherapy needed to be increased. This type of adjustment is not yet considered standard, but is currently being studied. I would not have felt comfortable intensifying the chemotherapy without reassurance from a specialist.”

Some healthcare professionals may feel that they keep up with the changes in medicine and would not need consultation with specialist; they may not feel that they need a second opinion. But Koch has found that their consultants at Mayo have been very respectful and collegial.

“Our cases have been discussed over the phone and management options have been considered,” Koch said. “The sharing of this information seems to be helpful on both sides. This has advanced our practice and gives us reassurance especially when providing cutting-edge therapy or managing challenging cancers.”

Mayo Clinic Care Network products and services include:

• eConsults that enable Unity Health physicians to connect electronically with Mayo specialists for additional input on a patient’s care
• AskMayoExpert database that offers point-of-care, Mayo-vetted information on disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials for medical conditions
• Healthcare consulting that enables Unity Health to learn more about Mayo’s clinical, operational and business models, including their design and implementation
• eTumor Board conferences that invite Unity Health physicians to present and discuss management of complex cancer cases with a multidisciplinary panel of Mayo specialists and other network members

Unity Health providers can also access Mayo’s extensive library of patient education materials and view archived Mayo Clinic grand rounds presentations that feature Mayo physicians and scientists.

Launched in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 40 member organizations in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico and Singapore. Unity Health, which is the largest employer in an eight-county area with more than 2,000 associates, is the first organization in Arkansas to join the network.