Are hospitals in Mayo Clinic network all connected with my data?

Hi @yanghoon You’re wondering if your medical and health data is shared between hospitals in the Mayo Clinic. Yes! It’s streamline within the Mayo information stream.

Mayo uses the EPIC data system which will allow information, with your permission, to be shared with not only Mayo Clinics but world wide to any other medical facility who has the system.

My local healthcare provider and hospital in my hometown has EPIC and all the information from Mayo and my local provider can seen by both parties with just the click of the ‘button’ on the computer screen.

Does this help you?

Hi @loribmt Thanks a lot for your kind and helpful reply. Now I understood that my data as height, medication, medical problems, … are shared between hospitals in Mayo Clinic since they are all connected in Epic system.

However, I am surprised that hospitals not in Mayo Clinic networks can be share my data too, and want to know more about it. Do you mean that I can get consecutive medical service(based on the diagnosis from Mayo Clinic) from other hospitals that use Epic System(Kaiser, MGH, Geisinger, etc.)?

Can you prvide me information or example about the hospitals that are not in Mayo Clinic network but offer data sharing? Or any related websites that I can read about such data interoperability between Mayo Clinic and other IDNs?

Thanks again for your help.

Epic software has really made sharing patient information streamline not only within a specific large integrated hospital system such as Mayo Clinic, it also allows for transferring between other medical facilities which also has the system.

If I’m understanding your question correctly, while the information can be transferred between medical institutions with your permission, it may not mean you can be diagnosed in one facility and be treated in another. Each institution remains independent. Also there are some medical institutions which still may require their own testing.

However, it’s really beneficial to have these records so easily shared. A personal example: Last October I had a series of tests run at Mayo. I needed to have a followup at my home clinic in January for the same condition. Both my Mayo doctor and my local doctor were able to compare the results of these tests instantly via computer. I didn’t have to request copies to be faxed to either doctor.

In my case, my local doctor who is my oncologist, does take directions from my bone marrow transplant doctor at Mayo. They are working collaboratively even though they are in different medical establishments. Mayo, once there has been a diagnosis and treatment plan, will often transfer care back to the patient’s local clinic to make it easier for the patient…again, that immediate access to patient records is so convenient.

I found some information for you regarding the hospitals in the which use Epic Software system. It’s a global system so there are some countries outside the US which use Epic.
https://www.epic.com/careeverywhere/
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https://digitalhealth.folio3.com/blog/which-hospitals-use-epic/
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https://www.epic.com/community
Hopefully this will answer some of your questions. ☺️

Thank you for your help. I also want to thank you for sharing your private story. It really helped me a lot.

Now I understood that there is an option, based on my agreement, that enables collaborative diagnosis and cares from various IDN with Epic, although it may vary from medical institutions. Sounds wonderful that I can get diagnosed in Mayo Clinic, Rochester and get cared in separate local clinic.

Hope you have a good day 🙂

1) Check out your "MyChart" at your provider's Internet site...it may also offer you the ability to link to Mayo. In that case all your appointments and records will show up in both places (Mayo and your local provider).
2)These sites may also allow you to send your records from their site to another doctor.
The biggest issue I have found is with small Specialty groups. They have minimum Internet programs.
By law all doctors must now post your test results. Good doctors also post their notes. This can be very informative, and one should always read them. One can also find mistakes in one's records.

I’m a big fan of all the openness, it is a huge help to keeping patients aware and understanding. I’m curios though, does linking different institutions together in our private patient portal also give those institutions the permissions required for record access between each other? I ask because I’m confused as I’m starting to go to different doctors now because of relocation. In advance, I asked if I needed to sign a release form to get previous records, especially scans and labs, sent to them or if there was a fax I could transmit them to. They said they already had them. Two of my specialists for next week’s visit already have my previous records. A visit with a new doctor last week seemed to have a record of every prescription ever filled in the past 8 years, so we had to go through the list to knock off all previous antibiotics, dosage changes, & other 1 time events. I’m a HUGE proponent of simplication, saving trees, and the time we all spend collecting/saving/transmitting/storing medical records, but sometimes I’m not sure where the permissions were given. Maybe state laws are different regarding sharing of medical records, for safety and emergency reasons?

1) I believe the first reason behind the obligation to post test results is to allow the patient to change doctors with greater ease
2) Not sure how the permission works. Obviously, a new doctor should know what your previous situation was and meds you are on - before we used to fill out forms for that - and still do in some places. I have the impression that one needs to be a "patient" of the doctor for the doctor to legally have access to your records. Last year I emailed a Mayo doctor about his paper on alternative Covid treatments, and he made the comment about not having access to my records even though I am a Mayo patient with Mayo doctors-but he was not "my"doctor. I did give him my patient ID and he set up an appointment for me. Mayo classified me as high risk for Covid complications and contacted me for alternative treatments also
3) Yes, I have also had them pull stuff from way back....problem is updating things in a clear way. I had a complicated medical situation last year and it is a real challenge to bring new doctors up to speed. They need to develop better program designs in these databases, and that requires a doctor who understands what is important in medical data working closely with a software programmer. Same problem exists in the business world. Programmer knows how to do it but doesn't understand what final product should be.
4) I suspect the real issue of confidentiality is with insurance companies and employers who do not want to hire employees that could drive up medical insurance costs. Larger employers self insure so they have an interest.

With the implementation of "Obamacare" , medical facilities were required to start inputting patient data into database systems. Not only does this facilitate future tracking of critical patient information, but it allows for incredible data analysis of patient profiles and specific treatments like never before. It is possible to analyze effectiveness of medications easily and also to track patient clinical profiles against various diseases. It opens a whole new world for medicine. And how does any doctor really keep track of a patient when they see so many? They need programs that immediately profile critical information.

I am new on this site and I have a question related to sharing information. I have had several tests and biopsies done to diagnose my stage IV prostate cancer with my local oncologist. We both agreed that it would be a good idea for me to be seen in Mayo as I may be able to take part in a clinical trial. I have an appointment to be seen in Mayo in May for a PET Scan and evaluation. I ahve 2 questions. Is Mayo going to be able to treat me based on my tests done localy and their own PET scan? And does Mayo ever suggest treatment advice without actually seeing the patient?

Hi @sandg, welcome. These are good questions to ask the appointments office. You can find the numbers to call here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

The answers to your questions are specific to each individual patient. Others may have personal experiences of how things worked in their situation. But this is what I can tell you in general.

1. Mayo Clinic will review all tests that you have done locally. Mayo Clinic doesn't want to repeat test unnecessarily. However, additional testing may be ordered if more information is required to plan treatment.
2. Mayo Clinic welcomes both new and existing patients for virtual and in-person care in adherence with federal and state executive orders and guidance. Video and phone visits can be great options for appointments before, after or in place of face-to-face care. A virtual visit will be offered if it best fits your individual needs.

You may also be interested in the helpful tips in this related discussion:
– Telemedicine: How to make the most of a virtual doctor visit https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-telemedicine-its-a-brave-new-world/

Which Mayo Clinic will you be visiting for the PET scan?