Kootenai Health, based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, has joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
The Mayo Clinic Care Network, established by Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, is a network of hospitals and health systems that work to improve the quality and delivery of care in their regions. The collaboration gives providers around the nation access to Mayo Clinic's expertise.
Kootenai physicians will now have access to various Mayo Clinic resources such as the AskMayoExpert database and electronic consulting that connects physicians with Mayo Clinic experts to answer questions about diagnosis, care management or therapy. The affiliation does not involve a change in ownership.
Kootenai is the first healthcare organization in the Pacific Northwest to join the network, according to a news release. The network launched in 2011 and has member organizations in more than 14 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Mexico.