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The Mayo Clinic is a world renowned medical institution based in Rochester, Minnesota, in the United States. The medical practice holds both hospital facilities as well as a medical school. The formation of the Clinic was started in Rochester in the late 1800s when Dr. William Mayo settled there. Since then, Mayo has created additional hospitals in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. There are a number of smaller clinics and hospitals in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin as well. These smaller clinics, along with the largest facility in Rochester, make up the Mayo Health System.

The main goal of the Mayo Clinic is to put the needs of the patient first. The mission statement of the Clinic reads 'Mayo Clinic will provide the best care to every patient every day through integrated clinical practice, education, and research.' Mayo strives to serve the community, rather than to just exist to make a profit. In fact, in terms of revenue, the Clinic is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the state. Even the Clinic's logo provides evidence of where the focus lies. The symbol found wherever 'Mayo' is written shows three interlocking shields which stand for research, education, and patient care. One cannot exist or be completed effectively without the other two, and the patient care shield is in the middle, signifying an extreme importance for the practice.

The core principles of the Clinic also show this dedication to the patient. Along with the three shields, the institution also emphasizes respect, quality, work atmosphere, commitment to society, and a financial system designed to help the system rather than individuals within it. One of the ways the Clinic meets these principles is by using an integrated patient care practice. Mayo is most famous for developing this type of care plan. When a patient visits the Clinic, s/he will see anywhere from two to ten doctors in a single visit to reduce the cost of multiple visits, and to allow doctors who specialize in different areas to discuss and confer about a treatment plan that will meet all the needs of the patient. Some fees may be higher because of this practice, but many patients agree that this integrated plan helps to reduce future healthcare costs. Also to help with these fees, Mayo has a comprehensive financial counseling system in which patients are informed of costs as well as possible financial support that may come from their insurance agencies. Normally, patients would have to figure this information out for themselves.

Another way in which Mayo is able to focus more attention on the patients is in how physicians are paid. Instead of the common procedure of pay based on how many patients are seen in a day, physicians at the Clinic are paid a salary that is not affected by patient volume. This allows doctors to spend as much time as they require with patients to provide an exceptional level of care. It also prevents doctors from performing unnecessary procedures or operations in hopes of more financial incentives. This could be why the Mayo Clinic is known for finding diseases that are missed by doctors at other health care systems.

It is easy to see why the Mayo Clinic stands out in both the US and the world. The Clinic was ranked as the second best hospital in the United States by U.S. News and World Report in both 2006 and 2007, and is consistently near the top of 'best hospital' lists. The core principles and level of dedication to patient care at this institution have helped to form a unique health care system that is both well-known and admired around the world.

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