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The start of Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a physician-led organization, with a primary focus on: "The needs of the patient come first."
Mayo Clinic was born out of a tornado that destroyed much of Rochester in 1883. Dr. William Worrall Mayo, his sons William and Charles, other local physicians, Mother Alfred Moes and the Sisters of Saint Francis cared for those injured by the storm. As a joint project between the Sisters of Saint Francis and the Mayo family, Saint Mary's Hospital opened on Sept. 30, 1889. -
Augustus Stinchfield
In 1892 Augustus Stinchfield is added to the practice, which begins the concept of team medical care. This team approach will eventually lead to a multi-specialty medical practice. -
Dr. Henry Plummer
In 1901, Dr. Henry Plummer joins the Mayo practice. He stresses the group-practice concept. -
Membership to AMA Increases
In 1901, AMA reorganizes as the national organization of state and local associations. Membership increases from about 8,000 physicians in 1900 to 70,000 in 1910 -- half the physicians in the country. This period is the beginning of "organized medicine." -
Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
In 1915, doctors attend a convention to observe and learn medicine. This event leads to the world's first formal graduate-training programs for physicians, the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. -
Blue Cross Begins Offering Private Coverage
Against the advice of insurance professionals, Blue Cross begins offering private coverage for hospital care in dozens of states -
Economic Bill of Rights- Right to Adequate Health Care
President Roosevelt asks Congress for "economic bill of rights," including right to adequate medical care. -
Prepaid Group Healthcare Begins
Prepaid group healthcare begins, seen as radical. -
Medicare and Medicaid Begin
Medicare and Medicaid programs were created, making comprehensive health care available to millions of Americans -
Mayo Medical School opens
In 1972 the Mayo Medical School opens -
Prepaid Group Plan -> HMO
Prepaid Group Plans were then renamed to HMOs -
American Medicine in Crisis
Healthcare costs are escalating rapidly, partially due to unexpectedly high Medicare expenditures, rapid inflation in the economy, expansion of hospital expenses and profits, and changes in medical care including greater use of technology, medications, and conservative approaches to treatment. American medicine is now seen as in crisis. -
Managing Medicare and Medicaid
The Health Care Financing Administration was created to manage Medicare and Medicaid separately from the Social Security Administration. -
Smallpox Eradication
Worldwide eradication of smallpox, led by the U.S. Public Health Service -
Capitation Payments Become More Common
"Capitation" payments to doctors become more common. -
Medicare Shifts to DRG
Under President Reagan, Medicare shifts to payment by diagnosis (DRG) instead of by treatment. Private plans quickly follow suit -
Establishment of Medicare Access and CHIP and Reauthorization of 2015
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), commonly called the Permanent Doc Fix, establishes a new way to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients, revising the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The reform is the largest in scale on the American health care system since the Affordable Care Act in 2010. It fixes the way Medicare doctors are reimbursed, fills in a funding gap and extends a popular children’s insurance program, CHIP. -
Mayo today
It is the first and largest integrated nonprofit medical group practice in the world. Currently, it employs more than 3,800 physicians and scientists. Five buildings at the Saint Marys Campus are named to honor Saint Marys' foundress and first administrator, Mother Alfred, and four Sisters who previously served as hospital administrators: Sisters Joseph, Domitilla, Mary Brigh and Generose.
