Translating idealism into action
Message from the CEO
Almost a century ago, Dr. Charles Mayo articulated what he believed to be Mayo Clinic's greatest strength.
Dr. Charlie wrote, "If we excel in anything, it is in our capacity for translating idealism into action." Dr. Charlie didn't say the strength of Mayo Clinic was only in our ideas. He didn't say our strength was only in our ability to make these ideas come to life. He said the unique strength of Mayo lies in our ability to take what some say can't be done and make it the new standard.
Since 1928, the world has changed; health care has changed. But Dr. Mayo's words expressed a truth that I believe we reaffirm daily. Our greatest strength is translating idealism into action. This year, 2012, is about that strength.
It's what our staff does every day for our patients. It is how we transform hope into healing. We call this power "the Mayo Effect." Working together as one organization with one purpose, one direction, one plan, we strive to turn the impossible into the possible.
This year, we asked our patients and our staff: what does the Mayo Effect mean to you? A mom named Sheila told us her story. After a fall down the stairs, Sheila went into cardiac arrest and was left paralyzed and unable to breathe on her own. Five months after her accident, she became the first Mayo Clinic patient to receive a breathing pacemaker. To Sheila, the Mayo Effect means continuous care, revolutionary treatments, and being able to enjoy basketball tournaments and marching band performances with her two teenage sons.
To our staff, the Mayo Effect means facing the future with the same relentless determination the Mayo brothers and their colleague Henry Plummer showed when they revolutionized surgery and the medical record. They put themselves in patients' shoes. Our job is to walk in our patients' shoes in today's world, imagine what they need and use all of our ideas and expertise to deliver it.
Benefactor support and a strong financial performance allow our not-for-profit organization to set new standards in health care knowledge and delivery. We are fortunate to have achieved a net operating income of more than $600 million in 2011 to reinvest in clinical practice, education and research. Generous gifts of financial support from benefactors and hard work and dedication from our staff demonstrate a profound trust in the future state of Mayo Clinic, a future we are building daily.
As we continue translating idealism into action, the changing reimbursement and reform climate presents us with challenges. But in keeping with Dr. Charlie's words, at Mayo, we don't react to changes in health care, we lead the change to what health care should be.
We are embarking on new ventures for our patients, including expanding Mayo Medical School to Arizona and integrating trusted partners into members of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. I know that we will be successful. We've built a plan to manifest the future of medicine in the future of Mayo Clinic. Our staff and generous benefactors build the bridges between what is and what could be. I believe this year we'll see many exciting advances toward turning our idealistic plans for the future into the new gold standard for patients.
John H. Noseworthy, M.D.
President and CEO
Mayo Clinic
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