St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck has joined a national network of hospitals connected with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The move is not an acquisition or a merger, but a collaboration that will enable St. Alexius doctors to connect electronically with Mayo specialists, allowing more patients to stay closer to home, according to St. Alexius and Mayo officials…The network is relatively new, said Dr. David Hayes, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Mayo began discussing the idea two years ago and the first network member, Altru Health System of Grand Forks, joined about a year ago.

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Inforum N.D. (AP)

Tags: Altru Health System, collaboration, Dr. David Hayes, Facilities, Industry News & Competitive Intelligence, Inforum N.D., Mayo Clinic Care Network, Mayo Clinic Rochester, St. Alexius Medical Center