The Mayo Clinic recently announced a $648 million expansion that will nearly double the size of its Phoenix campus over five years. The Arizona Forward Project will add 1.4 million square feet of building space with more clinical capacity, support services and infrastructure at the campus located near Loop 101 and 56th Street in North Phoenix. The expansion also increases the number of inpatient beds from 280 to 374 by 2023 and creates close to 2,000 new jobs. Dr. Lois Krahn is here today to talk to us about this expansion.
TED SIMONS: MAYO CLINIC RECENTLY ANNOUNCED AN EXPANSION THAT WILL NEARLY DOUBLE THE SIZE OF ITS PHOENIX CAMPUS. AND HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE MOVE AND WHY THE DECISION WAS MADE IS DR. LOIS KRAHN, A MAYO CLINICAL PHYSIATRIST AND MEMBER OF THE MAYO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THE MAYO CLINIC BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND THE MAYO CLINIC BOARD OF TRUSTEES. YOU ARE ONE BUSY PERSON WITH THE MAYO CLINIC.
LOIS KRAHN: WELL, IT'S AN EXCITING PLACE TO WORK.
TED SIMONS: IT IS. AND THIS IS THE LARGEST EXPANSION HERE IN PHOENIX IN MAYO CLINIC HISTORY, ISN'T IT?
LOIS KRAHN: IT IS. IT HAS BEEN SOMETHING WE HAVE REALLY BEEN LOOKING FOR AND HOPING FOR… IT IS GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR OUR PATIENTS.
TED SIMONS: $648 MILLION DOUBLING THE SIZE OF THE PHOENIX CAMPUS. FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW- WHERE IS THE PHOENIX CAMPUS?
LOIS KRAHN: WELL, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF FACILITIES, BUT OUR LARGEST ONE, WHICH WILL SOON BE LARGER IS IN NORTH PHOENIX, WE ANOTHER SIZEABLE OPERATION IN NORTHERN SCOTTSDALE AND A COUPLE OF SMALLER CLINICS SCATTERED AROUND THE VALLEY.
TED SIMONS: WHY IS THIS EXPANSION AT THIS FACILITY NEEDED?
LOIS KRAHN: WELL, WE HAVE A HOSPITAL IN NORTH PHOENIX, AND WE KNOW IT IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH. WE KNOW THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH. WE'LL BE ABLE TO INNOVATE AND DO -- PROVIDE SERVICE WE HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO UP TO NOW.
TED SIMONS: THAT SERVICE INVOLVES COMPLEX MEDICAL SITUATIONS? THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE MAYO IS KNOWN FOR, ISN'T IT?
LOIS KRAHN: SINCE THE BEGINNING OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN ON SEVERE, COMPLEX, AND RARE CONDITIONS. THAT MEANS A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY. WE NEED SPECIALIZED TOOLS. WE HAVE A PROTON BEAM CENTER. IMAGE GUIDED OPERATING ROOMS, AND A CONSOLIDATED CANCER CENTER THAT ALLOWS US TO HELP PATIENTS WITH THOSE PROBLEMS.
TED SIMONS: SO ORGAN TRANSPLANTS, AS YOU MENTIONED MAY BE DIFFICULT, CANCERS, MEDICAL MYSTERIES, THESE SORTS OF THINGS?
LOIS KRAHN: NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, NEURO-SURGERY, THE LIST IS LONG.
TED SIMONS: 1.4 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF BUILDING SPACE WILL BE ADDED. AGAIN, THAT ALMOST DOUBLES WHAT IS THERE. WHAT IS THIS SPACE GOING TO BE USED FOR? MORE PATIENT BEDS? MORE EMERGENCY? WHAT?
LOIS KRAHN: ALL OF THE ABOVE. WE WILL HAVE MORE IN-PATIENT BEDS- ABOUT 100 MORE, MORE OUTPATIENT SPACE, MORE PROCEDURAL AREAS FOR DOING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, MORE LABORATORY SPACE, SO REALLY, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO ADVANCE THE SERVICES WE OFFER IN MANY DIFFERENT RESPECTS.
TED SIMONS: MORE OPERATING ROOMS AND LAB SERVICES?
LOIS KRAHN: ABSOLUTELY. AND MORE TOOLS INSIDE THOSE OPERATING ROOMS. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TECHNIQUES WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO OFFERING GOING FORWARD.
TED SIMONS: ARE THESE HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS, OR BUILDING ON CURRENTLY EXISTING STRUCTURES?
LOIS KRAHN: WE'LL HAVE A NEW BED TOWER FOR THE HOSPITAL, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE BUILDING UP. SO ON TOP OF OUR CURRENT OUTPATIENT CLINIC, WE WILL BE ADDING SEVERAL FLOORS.
TED SIMONS: WOW, AND ADDITIONAL PARKING, I WOULD IMAGINE?
LOIS KRAHN: OH, ABSOLUTELY. ANYONE WHO HAS COME TO SEE US LATELY WILL AGREE THAT THAT IS NEEDED AND THAT IS ON THE LIST.
TED SIMONS: THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR PROGRESS, CORRECT?
LOIS KRAHN: IT IS.
TED SIMONS: AS FAR AS JOBS, HOW MANY JOBS DO YOU SEE JUST BY WAY OF EXPANSION ONLY, AND HOW MANY MORE PHYSICIANS WILL BE NEEDED?
LOIS KRAHN: WE EXPECT TO ADD 2,000 JOBS, AND 200 PHYSICIANS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. THAT'S A VERY SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE FROM OUR CURRENT LEVEL OF STAFFING.
TED SIMONS: I WAS GOING TO SAY, THAT IS SUCH A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE, IT MAKES YOU WONDER, BECAUSE A LOT OF HOSPITALS ARE HAVING TROUBLE FILLING BEDS. IS THAT A PERSON AT MAYO?
LOIS KRAHN: NO, WE HAVE BEEN IN AN OVERFLOW SITUATION- BOTH IN OUR EMERGENCY ROOM AND IN OUR HOSPITAL AND WE DON'T DECIDE SOMETHING LIKE WITHOUT THOUGHT, AND WE ARE CONVINCED OUR SUCCESS IN ATTRACTING PATIENTS NOT ONLY FROM ARIZONA BUT FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MAKES THIS A AN IMPORTANT NEXT STEP FOR US.
TED SIMONS: AND THE HOSPITALS ARE ALSO SEEING LAGGING PROFITS IN OUTPATIENT CARE AND THESE SORTS OF THINGS. IS THAT A CONCERN AT MAYO?
LOIS KRAHN: WE WORK HARD AT THIS. WE ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT MANAGING OUR BUDGET, BUT FOR US, WE HAVE BEEN DOING ALL RIGHT, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO SERVE MORE PATIENTS, AND IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO HAVE OUR GRATEFUL PATIENTS ASSIST US WITH COVERING SOME OF THE COSTS.
TED SIMONS: THIS IS EXPANDING THE PHOENIX FACILITY. WHY THAT ONE AS OPPOSED TO SCOTTSDALE?
LOIS KRAHN: WELL, PHOENIX FAUCILITY IS WHERE OUR HOSPITAL AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IS LOCATED, SO THAT'S WHERE THE GREATEST NEED IS, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN NORTH SCOTTSDALE, SO THAT WILL NOT BE ABANDONED BY ANY MEANS. WE ARE JUST GOING TO BE ORGANIZING OUR WORK IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE MORE INPATIENT ORIENTED WORK- THE PROTON BEAM AND THE CANCER CENTER- WILL BE IN NORTH PHOENIX.
TED SIMONS: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO LOCATIONS? WHAT DOES SCOTTSDALE SPECIALIZE IN AS OPPOSED TO PHOENIX AND VICE VERSA.
LOIS KRAHN: WE HAVE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THIS…ON THE SCOTTSDALE CAMPUS WE HAVE AN ARRAY OF SERVICES, INCLUDING CARDIOLOGY, OUR HEADACHE TEAM, PRIMARY CARE AND MANY OF THE PROCEDURES BUT NOT TAKE PLACE ON THE PHOENIX CAMPUS, AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO HOSPITALIZE PATIENTS IN NEED OF IN-PATIENT CARE.
TED SIMONS: AND THUS THE NEED FOR MORE BEDS. AND EVERYTHING FROM PARKING- FOOD SERVICES, I WOULD IMAGINE, THAT WILL EXPAND?
LOIS KRAHN: ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO EXPAND SOME OF THESE THINGS. AS WE GROW WE HAVE TO GROW THE SUPPORTING SERVICES AS WELL.
TED SIMONS: LOTS OF CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. WHAT ABOUT PATIENT CARE IN WILL SOME FOLKS HAVE TO GO TO SCOTTSDALE, HOW IS THAT GOING TO WORK?
LOIS KRAHN: WE HAVE A PRETTY LONG TRACK RECORD OF BUILDING WHILE WE ARE USING A FACILITY. SO I AM CONVINCED THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THE CONSTRUCTION WITH MINIMAL DISRUPTION TO OUR PATIENTS. IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE DONE BEFORE AND I AM CONFIDENT WE WILL DO IT AGAIN.
TED SIMONS: AND THE IMPACT AS FAR AS MAYO BEING -- YOU REFERRED TO THIS EARLIER, A DESIGNATION MEDICAL CENTER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
LOIS KRAHN: THAT MEANS OUR SERVICES ARE SPECIALIZED ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE COME FROM OTHER STATES. THEY COME FROM THE CORNERS OF THE COUNTRY. WE DRAW PATIENTS FROM ALL STATES IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT MEANS THEY COME TO ARIZONA FOR THEIR HEALTH CARE. THEY STAY IN HOTELS AND EAT IN RESTAURANTS, SO THIS IS VERY GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY OVER AND BEYOND JUST THE HEALTHCARE SEGMENT.
TED SIMONS: AND AS FAR AS MAYO BEING A MODEL OF COLLABORATIVE CARE, THIS JUST ACCENTS IT, DOESN'T IT?
LOIS KRAHN: WELL, WE'RE ALL ABOUT TEAM WORK. THAT'S WHAT THE MAYO BROTHERS STARTED BE DECADES AGO, AND THIS ALLOWS US TO BUILD LARGER TEAMS AND DO MORE.
TED SIMONS: DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AND WITH REGARD TO WHAT THE MAYOR BROTHERS THOUGHT… JOIN US TOMORROW ON "ARIZONA HORIZON" AS WE TALK TO FILM MAKER KEN BURNS AND A PRODUCER AS HIS WORK ON HIS LATEST FILM WHICH IS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE MAYO CLINIC- CALLED MAYO CLINIC: FAITH, HOPE AND SCIENCE. THAT'S TOMORROW ON ARIZONA HORIZON AT 5:30 AND 10:00.
