Kootenai Health joins Mayo Clinic network

COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County’s community-owned hospital announced that it is now one of just 30 national affiliates of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network. It is the only network affiliate in Idaho.

The relationship does more than put an even brighter shine on Kootenai Health’s reputation.

“We are working with Mayo Clinic so our patients can benefit from leading medical expertise and physician collaboration without having to leave home,” Kootenai Health CEO Jon Ness said today. “Our two organizations share the same commitment that health care should be provided close to home whenever possible."

What that means to Kootenai Health patients is access through their doctors to some of the best medical minds and resources in the nation. Kootenai Health physicians will consult in several different ways with Mayo Clinic doctors on disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials.

According to Dr. David Hayes, medical director for Mayo Clinic Care Network, Kootenai Health and Mayo are both committed to patient-centered care, which is why they’ve already worked together on a limited basis over the years. As of Tuesday, that mutual commitment became magnified.

“We are excited to formalize this relationship, and to continuing to work together to help patients get the right care, at the right place, at the right time.”

The announcement puts two powerhouses, one local and one national, on the same team.                 

According to the most recent ratings by U.S. News & World Report, Kootenai Health is the best hospital in Idaho, tied for No. 1 with St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise. At the same time, the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minn., is rated the No. 1 hospital in the U.S.

Kootenai Health outranked 50 other Idaho hospitals. Mayo was rated tops among nearly 5,000 medical centers across the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

For more on this story, please see Wednesday's Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls Press or go to cdapress.com after midnight tonight.