Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca

March 11, 2008 – Ithaca, New York- Cayuga Medical Center of Ithaca has entered into an association with Mayo Medical Laboratories, the national reference laboratory of Mayo Clinic, located in Rochester, Minnesota, to expand its laboratory testing menu. Through this arrangement Cayuga Medical Center will offer its communities immediate, collaborative access to complex tests performed by Mayo Medical Laboratories.

Mayo Medical Laboratories, a medical center-based, physician-led organization, is internationally known for its team of consultative experts who focus on the needs of the patient. The mission of this collaboration will be to consolidate reference testing, improve turnaround time, and strengthen Cayuga Medical Center’s efforts to provide exceptional laboratory services and patient care to the Ithaca Region.

The collaboration with Mayo allows Cayuga Medical Center to offer access to more specialized laboratory testing to our community. Specimens taken at any patient service center will be transported via air to Mayo Medical Laboratories, with test results often available through a computer interface the following day. Mayo Medical Laboratories’ pathologists and scientists in every specialty laboratory will be available to consult with Cayuga Medical Center regarding test selection, utilization and methodologies, and result interpretation.

Mayo Clinic has one of the largest clinical laboratories in the world, with a highly skilled team of pathologists, physicians, scientists, medical technologists, medical technicians, laboratory assistants, biologists, chemists, microbiologists, geneticists, and other specialists.

“The Cayuga Medical Center continues to raise the bar of quality by developing strategic partnerships with some of the leading health care providers in the United States,” says Rob Mackenzie, M.D., CHE, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The partnership with Mayo Medical Laboratories will benefit patient care throughout the region.”

Routine laboratory testing continues to be done by Cayuga Medical Center. For those in need of laboratory testing, specimens will continue to be collected at Cayuga Medical Center’s five sites: Cayuga Medical Center, 101 Dates Drive, Ithaca, 1301 Trumansburg Rd, Suite C, Ithaca, Convenient Care at Ithaca, Convenient Care at Cortland, and 5 Evergreen St, in Dryden.

Cayuga Medical Center is a 204-bed, state-of-the art regional medical center. The Medical Center’s mission is to deliver the highest quality health care and is affiliated with many prestigious health care organizations including Cornell University's Weill Medical College in New York City, Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, Rochester General Hospital’s Heart Institute and the Mayo Medical Laboratories. For more information on services available at the medical center and its satellite campuses, please call (607) 274-4498.