So long, Austin Medical Center
Published 9:59 am Friday, May 20, 2011
Dr. John Coppes, medical director, talks about the change from Austin Medical Center to May Clinic Health System Thursday at the hospital. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin Medical Center has been a part of Mayo Clinic since 1995, and on Monday, its name will reflect that.
AMC is continuing to gear up for its name change to Mayo Clinic Health System, and it held a “brand celebration” Thursday in preparation of the transition. The official name and brand change will occur May 23 for all 70 Mayo Health System locations. Signs in Austin will read “Mayo Clinic Health System-Austin,” and the new logo includes Mayo Clinic’s three shields.
Dr. John Coppes, medical director at AMC, said hospital officials want people to have the same experience they would at Mayo Clinic.
“We will strive hard to maintain the name and the recognition of the brand,” Coppes said. “The Mayo Clinic brand is very important, and we want to let everybody know that we are part of Mayo Clinic.”
Coppes said Mayo Clinic wanted all its facilities to receive the benefits of its high name recognition.
“It’s one of the most recognized health care brands in America,” he said. “And they want all facilities throughout the Mayo Clinic Health System to be identified with Mayo, not to be thought of as separate entities, but actually part of all of Mayo Clinic.”
AMC also launched its new electronic medical records in April, allowing physicians to access patient records from anywhere in the Mayo Health System. Both the name change and the new record system are part of Mayo’s effort to create a streamlined system, Coppes said.
“We wanted patients to have a seamless experience between here and Rochester or other places within the Mayo Clinic Health System,” Coppes said. “It’s much easier now to look up patients records. Patients go to Rochester and their records are immediately available. We don’t have to duplicate a lot of things, and this will really make that experience of going to Rochester a lot easier.”
AMC outreach facilities, such as clinics in Adams and Blooming Prairie, will also undergo the name change.
AMC will also break ground on a $28 million, 85,500-square-foot expansion project in late July, although that’s not related to its name change or system update, Coppes said.
