AIG Hospitals and Mayo Clinic announced Thursday, Oct. 24, that AIG Hospitals has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

AIG Hospitals is the first health care facility in India to become a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a group of carefully vetted, independent health care systems that have special access to Mayo Clinic's knowledge and expertise. Physicians from AIG Hospitals will be able to combine their understanding of their patients' medical needs with Mayo Clinic expertise, so patients get exactly the care they need close to home. There is no additional cost to patients.

"We at AIG Hospitals are passionate about bringing world-class medical expertise, innovation and technology to India for the benefit of our communities," says D. Nageshwar Reddy, M.D., chairman and managing director, AIG Hospitals. "Our collaboration with Mayo Clinic is a giant leap forward in empowering our patients and physicians to access international clinical expertise and cutting-edge medical knowledge for superior clinical outcomes." 

AIG Hospitals is a unit of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, one of India's leading gastroenterology hospitals. Spread across 1.7 million square feet, AIG Hospitals is one of the largest hospitals in India today, serving over 600,000 patients annually. Tertiary care services include organ transplantation, oncology, cardiology, nephrology, urology, obesity and metabolic therapy, pulmonology, liver sciences and hepatology. 

"Mayo Clinic is pleased to welcome AIG Hospitals to the Mayo Clinic Care Network," says David Hayes, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Care Network. "AIG Hospitals is committed to the health and well-being of its communities through dedicated, high-quality care. We look forward to working closely together."

AIG Hospitals was selected to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network by demonstrating a commitment to the highest-quality, patient-centred care. In addition, AIG passed Mayo's comprehensive evaluation and review of clinical and business practices, quality, safety and service efforts.

Mayo Clinic developed the first integrated multispecialty group practice more than 150 years ago. Today, Mayo Clinic is the largest nonprofit group practice in the world, serving about 1.3 million patients annually.

As a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, AIG Hospitals will have access to:

• AskMayoExpert
  This point-of-care tool offers concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions and includes medical protocols, treatment recommendations and medical references. This tool can be used wherever health care is provided.

• eConsults
  eConsults enable AIG Hospitals' physicians to contact Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific patient cases when they believe additional input will benefit their patients.

• eBoards
  The live video conferences enable AIG Hospitals' medical teams to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic panel and other doctors within the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

• Health Care Consulting
  AIG Hospitals can access Mayo's extensive experience, knowledge and subspecialty expertise to attain clinical, operational and business goals.

Staff from AIG Hospitals also can use educational materials designed for patients, and access opportunities for professional development and continuous medical education.

Created in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 40 member organizations across the U.S., and in Asia, Mexico and the Middle East.