Mayo Clinic Heart Book

Skilled and compassionate care of individual patients-that's what the Mayo Clinic story has been about for the past 100 years. And that's what continues to bring more than 400,000 people to Mayo Clinic annually for health care. Through the years we've served over 5,000,000 people in our primary facilities in Rochester, Minnesota; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida. In addition, our Mayo Health System is a network of community-based health care providers who offer high-quality care close to home.

Mayo Clinic's success depends, in part, on its unique approach to medical practice. It is organized to enable physicians and other specialists to spend their time directly helping patients without worrying about scheduling appointments, locating records or X-rays, or handling an ever-expanding load of administrative details. It also promotes the concept of teamwork, so that many experts, in collaboration, can focus on the unique needs of individual patients. Our primary value is a simple statement: "The needs of the patient come first."

The quality of the Mayo style of health care hinges on the people we employ and the cooperation that characterizes their efforts. Extensive programs in medical education and medical research enrich the clinical care Mayo Clinic offers. Our physicians and scientists are continuously developing new and improved treatments and prevention strategies.

Health education is integrated with health care delivery at Mayo Clinic. In 1932, one of our founders, Dr. Charles H. Mayo, said, "The object of all health education is to change the conduct of individual men, women and children by teaching them to care for their bodies well." Dr.Mayo understood the importance of open, effective communication between patient and physician. He valued reliable, practical, easy-to-understand health information. He knew that people need authoritative information if they are to make well-informed health care choices.

The twenty-first century is heralding a new era in health care delivery. Choices are vast in today's managed care atmosphere. Individual responsibility is emphasized as never before.

Gone are the days of passive patients who knew only what their doctors told them. Knowledgeable health care consumers want, and need, facts upon which they can rely in building an effective partnership with their health care providers. That's why we prepared this expanded edition of our classic guide to heart health. Our first edition was published in 1993. This new edition has been extensively reviewed and updated by members of our Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine and by other Mayo Clinic specialists.

On behalf of the 32,000 health professional, administrative and support personnel who make up our extended family of health care providers, thank you for selecting Mayo Clinic Heart Book. Between its covers you'll find everything you need to know about heart health.

Michael B. Wood, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mayo Foundation