Defining the pathway to definitive care

Interview with Dr Anton Decker, President, Mayo Clinic International

Mayo Clinic is a global healthcare organisation, and patients from over 130 countries visit their facilities in the U.S. every year. People visit Mayo Clinic for definitive answers, treatment, and hope, particularly when they have severe or complex conditions, said Dr Decker. As times are changing and technology has improved, Mayo Clinic has strived to bring its model of care closer to the patient. Mayo Clinic has three such centres in the U.S., and the SSMC is its fourth and only international destination medical centre. A destination medical centre is where a patient goes to receive definitive care for severe and complex conditions. Recently, Dr Decker shared that a patient from Africa contacted Mayo Clinic for a recurrent tumour in their parotid gland. “There are other such patients who we have been able to help increasingly in SSMC Abu Dhabi or in London, where we also have a clinic. At SSMC, the number of telemedicine visits grew over 300 per cent compared to before the pandemic and made it easier for patients to get access to the “Mayo level of care”, highlighted Dr Decker. In addition, telemedicine was beneficial in providing remote intensive care services from the U.S. The acceleration also helped triage patients virtually first and determined the appropriate place for physical care, if needed. He concluded: “We have a wonderful partnership with the UAE and are delighted that Mayo Clinic is building a definitive destination here for the entire region.” Recently, SSMC launched the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Centre and the Adolescent Clinic to provide a coordinated care approach so that patients don’t need to go to several different places to solve a problem.