[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1759-E1760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE MAYO CLINIC AND ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DAVID SCHWEIKERT

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 2011

  Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, during this last district work period I 
had the opportunity to attend a press conference announcing the 
expansion of the Mayo Medical School in Arizona. This expansion, which 
will be done in cooperation with Arizona State University, is an 
exciting event that will lead to continued improvements in the field of 
medical education and provide research to meet tomorrow's needs.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to insert into the Record the comments of John 
Noseworthy, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO, on the announcement of 
the partnership between the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University. 
This is a truly wonderful relationship between these institutions and I 
look forward to having the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for many years to 
come.

                       Remarks of John Noseworthy

       We are here today because of a convergence of three 
     imperatives. First, there is a strong need for new models of 
     health care delivery in our country. Second, Mayo Clinic 
     believes that one answer to this need lies in new models of 
     training future physician leaders. Third, we are ready to 
     take a bold step in this direction today with our 
     collaborator, Arizona State University. This new Arizona 
     branch of Mayo Medical School is firmly aligned with Mayo's 
     commitment to patient-centered academic excellence and 
     redefining the field of medical education. Together with ASU, 
     we will create the health care workforce of the future.
       Clearly, the United States is a leader in bringing 
     innovation and new technologies into health care, yet health 
     care in the United States is fragmented, the quality of care 
     is variable, imperfectly measured, and expensive with costs 
     rising every year. Many patients struggle to find answers 
     that integrate the opinions of their physicians. Patients 
     don't always benefit from advances in

[[Page E1760]]

     medical knowledge. Studies have shown that it takes up to 17 
     years for important new knowledge to be broadly applied in 
     medical practice--to move from research bench to bedside. 
     Patients struggle to pay their bills and our country cannot 
     sustain the growing costs of health care, now exceeding 17% 
     of our GDP.
       Mayo Clinic believes that one answer lies in new models of 
     training future physician leaders. Today we are taking the 
     lead and announcing a bold new educational model to train the 
     physicians of tomorrow. This model addresses the importance 
     of delivering patient-centered, team-based care--the two 
     essential elements of how we practice at Mayo Clinic. This 
     new model will teach the requisite skills to design models of 
     evidenced-based, data-driven care. Our experience at Mayo 
     Clinic leads us to believe that this model will ensure better 
     patient safety, better patient service and improved outcomes 
     using systems engineering, health economics, and other 
     disciplines.
       Mayo Clinic has expertise in this approach. We recently 
     announced the opening of our Center for the Science of Health 
     Care Delivery. We are redoubling our efforts to bring 
     innovation into the medical school classroom--to shape and 
     arm physicians of the future to be leaders in the development 
     of new models of care.
       Today and together, Mayo Clinic and Arizona State 
     University are advancing this new discipline--the science of 
     health care delivery. I am very pleased to announce that Mayo 
     Clinic will expand the Mayo Medical School, based in 
     Rochester, Minnesota, to Arizona. The branch campus we 
     announce today will be known as Mayo Medical School--Arizona 
     Campus. It will operate under the governance and oversight of 
     Mayo Medical School. Each class here in Arizona will include 
     48 students. This branch will build on the academic 
     excellence of Mayo Medical School while also reflecting the 
     need for medical school curriculums to be geared toward 
     training the physicians of tomorrow. This new medical school 
     will be an important pipeline for future leaders in the field 
     of medicine around the nation, the world, and right here in 
     Arizona.
       The students of this new campus will earn an MD degree from 
     Mayo Medical School and a Master's degree in the Science of 
     Health Care Delivery from Arizona State University. This is 
     the first medical school in the nation to embed the science 
     of health care delivery into its four-year medical education. 
     Other medical schools are moving in this direction because 
     they too believe this is the right approach.
       Today's announcement reinforces Mayo Clinic's commitment to 
     Arizona and helps secure Mayo's role as the premier academic 
     medical center in the southwest. We are one step closer in 
     fulfilling our commitment to being a beacon for clinical 
     excellence in the western United States.
       Health care is about treating patients in a manner that 
     delivers optimal outcomes and quality of life in the most 
     efficient way possible. Well trained physicians are one of 
     the centerpieces of our collective future. We're excited to 
     be here today to make this important announcement for Mayo 
     Clinic, for Arizona, and for patients today and in the 
     future. We're eager to get started and look to the future 
     with great confidence.

                          ____________________