I couldn't be more proud of the excellence in health care offered in northwest Louisiana. I've spent 20-plus years in school and training, and over 40 years in medical practice, predominantly in my hometown. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to witness the incredible innovation, technological expansion and exponential improvement of medical care in northwest Louisiana.

The major health systems of Willis Knighton Health, Christus, Ochsner and LSU Health are dedicated to state-of-the-art technology as well as the development and recruitment of exceptional health care providers across our community.

The recently announced Mayo Clinic Care Network partnership with Willis Knighton Health is yet another way to expand the excellence in health care to northwest Louisiana. Through this collaboration, physicians and the community as a whole are granted special access to Mayo Clinic knowledge, expertise and resources.

Not every health system that applies to be in the Mayo Clinic Care Network is selected. It is currently a combination of 35 independent health care organizations that were carefully vetted by Mayo Clinic before being included in their network. Willis Knighton Health was added to the network only after an in-depth review of the organization, the clinical and business practices, as well as quality and patient safety efforts.

As a physician, this arrangement provides easy access to other expert opinions when dealing with the complex medical problems we all frequently face. After four decades, I still experience anxiety that often accompanies difficult decisions about individual patients. Having easy access to some of the most outstanding expert physicians in the world in their specialties is comforting for those of us supplying care.

Some of the benefits for Willis Knighton Health, its providers and the community as a whole are the following:

Ask Mayo Expert — An online medical reference tool for medical professionals that offers disease management, care guidelines, treatment recommendations, patient education and reference material for a vast library of medical conditions.

Mayo Clinic Patient Education — A library of the world's best printed and online video materials for patient education on a vast array of medical conditions.

eConsults — Electronic consultation service that connects the providers of Mayo Clinic and Willis Knighton Health around a complex case.

Inpatient Telephone Consults – Informal telephone conversation with Mayo Clinic physicians regarding treatment of in-hospital patients with semi-urgent to urgent intervention.

eBoard — Live video conferences to promote management of complex cases with a group of experts in various healthcare fields.

Health Care Consulting Program – Designed to share Mayo Clinic experience in performance improvement over time — learning from the successes and the failures of the past.

I assure the reader that health care providers throughout our community seek advice from those they trust daily. Medical care is a collaborative endeavor. The Mayo Clinic Care Network provides Willis Knighton Health physicians with another tool in their toolbox to deliver even greater expertise in caring for our patients.

The strength of the network is the combination of the local providers' understanding of the patient's unique medical needs and the expert guidance from the Mayo Clinic. The result is the development of the best treatment plan for our patients.

I have no doubt that this arrangement between Willis Knighton Health and the Mayo Clinic Care Network will greatly benefit all physicians and other health care providers. However, the most significant benefactor will be the whole communities of northwest Louisiana and East Texas.

Dr. Phillip Rozeman is a practicing interventional cardiologist. He was recently awarded lifetime achievement awards from the Northwest Louisiana Medical Society, the Council for a Better Louisiana, and the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). He is an inductee in the JA Business Hall of Fame.