Why is the topic of international medicine important to Mayo Clinic? One hundred years ago, the founders of Mayo Clinic began to research international medicine by traveling around the world to take notes and compare surgical approaches. This emphasis on international medical research continues today through the wide range of research initiatives conducted by Mayo Clinic staff. Several aspects of its international medical research are worth noting.

First, Mayo Clinic carefully tracks trends in its international medical business. To determine which countries are most predictable in terms of the behavior of their patients and where to anticipate an increase in patient volume, the clinic monitors its international data each quarter, carefully observing trends over time by country or region and tracking significant changes in volume, hospitalization rates, and percentage of new patients from any given market.