This story has been revised to update the way Shriners Hospitals cover the cost of treatment for its patients.
Shriners Hospitals for Children has joined one of the nation's best known hospital groups.
The group announced it will be teaming up with the Mayo Clinic during a press conference Tuesday at Shriners International Headquarters in Tampa.
Mayo physicians will consult with Shriners hospitals across the country to offer their expertise and expand the hospitals' medical resources.
For over 90 years, Shriners Hospitals for Children has been treating young patients and not asking their families to pay. The 22 different pediatric hospitals are known for providing care for children suffering from burns, spinal chord injuries, orthopedic conditions, and cleft lip and palate.
Shriners is the first pediatric hospital to team up with the Mayo Clinic.
"We have a long tradition over 90 years of taking care of kids, and we see this as an opportunity to advance the medical care that we're able to provide for those children and do it in a very convenient way for the patients and their families," said John McCabe, Executive Vice President at Shriners Hospitals.
Some of the resources available to hospitals that are members of Mayo's Network include eConsults and AskMayo Expert, along with a library of patient education materials.
David Hayes, Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, said almost all of the collaboration will be done electronically.
"Because Shriners has children travel from long distances at times, if something can be done remotely or electronically, it may save them the cost and certainly the inconvenience to the patient of having to make multiple trips," Hayes said.
Shriners will pay a fee to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which launched in 2011 and includes more than 30 other hospitals as members.
