Carrie (Brossart) Tobkin, Grand Forks, letter: What does Altru’s Mayo affiliation mean?

GRAND FORKS — This letter is in response to several articles and opinions I have read in the Herald recently about Altru Health System and its affiliation with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn..

I realize that in a letter to the editor, I can’t criticize Altru’s treatment decisions in a specific or identifiable case. That’s in part because privacy concerns would mean Altru couldn’t respond.

But I will say that I have personal knowledge of a case in which, when the patient’s condition was deteriorating, and the Altru doctor was asked to contact Mayo for consult, the physician replied by saying, “I do not need to call Mayo.”

This attitude surfaced more than once and made me question what Altru’s affiliation with the Mayo Clinic really means to the patients and families it serves. When this question was posed to other doctors involved in this case, they were unable to provide an answer.

In my view, Altru is engaged in a misleading marketing ploy to make people think it has special access to the expertise of Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately, it seems evident that if valley residents really want or need to access the excellent care and expertise of the doctors and staff of the Mayo Clinic, they still have to make the seven-hour drive to Rochester.

Carrie (Brossart) Tobkin

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