GUATEMALA CITY - Mayo Clinic's patient information office in Guatemala, one of Mayo's first local offices to assist patients in the region, is growing.
Mayo Clinic is adding a second representative to the office to assist patients, referring physicians, health insurance companies, and others interested in connecting with Mayo. The office in Guatemala City opened in 2008. Mayo Clinic now has patient information offices in 15 countries, including several locations in Latin America.
The office staff, fluent in Spanish and English, help patients make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.
"The growth of the office in Guatemala reflects Mayo Clinic's commitment to providing an excellent patient experience before, during and after patients visit Mayo for care," says Jorge Pascual, M.D., a pulmonary medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Mayo Clinic executive medical director of the Americas. "The Mayo team partners with patients and their families to assist with arrangements and meet individual needs and preferences throughout their care experience."
Mayo accepts appointment requests directly from patients and patient referrals from physicians. Interpreters are available at no cost to assist with communication between healthcare providers and patients whose primary language is not English.
The staff also help with travel, lodging, billing, and insurance arrangements; provide general orientation to Mayo Clinic; facilitate Mayo review of medical records; and coordinate future appointments. The services are free of charge. The office does not provide medical care.
Mayo Clinic is a destination for patients with serious, complex or undiagnosed conditions. Mayo care teams work together to provide a healing environment and a seamless patient experience. That includes coordinated appointment schedules, with specialists, tests and procedures located in close proximity to each other; coordination of care by one personal physician; and smooth communication at Mayo and with patients' healthcare teams at home.
